I’d argue Rian is an auteur in that he made the story he wanted to see and didn’t care that fans hated it, and he went in without a fan approved checklist.
The same way George said he didn’t care about the fans, or what 20th Century Fox wanted, and made his prequel his way.
George’s argument was the fans aren’t making the movie but they feel like they can tell you what to do and feel entitled.