Getting to direct a 'Star Wars' movie would be the opportunity of a lifetime for any filmmaker out there, but for Rian Johnson - who was a die-hard fan of the franchise before he even got involved - this was more than just a major a career break. 

Rian Johnson at the 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' premiereRian Johnson at the 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' premiere

The director came on to helm the 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' movie with the enthusiasm of any huge fan of the movie series. He did not expect to be picked for such a major deal, following in the footsteps of someone like J.J. Abrams, it was just a dream come true.

'If any 'Star Wars' fan out there imagines what their reaction would be if they were asked to direct the next [film], that's how I felt', he said with a laugh. 'It came out of nowhere, I didn't see it coming. [It was] just so unexpected. I felt like a pineapple blew up in my head.'

Watch the trailer for 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' here:

As for where Rian decided to go with the new story - the second installment of the new trilogy - he confesses that it was all about testing the characters from the last movie to their absolute limit.

'This is the second chapter after 'The Force Awakens', so 'The Force Awakens' created these amazing, vibrant new characters. It was the job of this movie, then, to pick them up and really test their mettle, put them through their paces', he explained. 'So I tried to just really get inside the head of each of the characters and figure out where did they go next. That ended up leading to some really unexpected places.'

As much as the new characters were developed on, so were the classic heroes like Mark Hamill's character. 'Luke Skywalker is the other big ingredient in this movie', he added. 'I knew we had to figure out what's the deal with Luke.'

More: John Boyega on how 'Star Wars' changed his life

'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' is set to be released in US theatres tomorrow (December 15th 2017).