Fans sign petition to remove 'The Last Jedi' from 'Star Wars' canon

Looks like the latest entrant in the epic sci-fi franchise 'Star Wars' has become a figure of controversy.

A certain fraction of fans, who have seen the movie, have started an online petition which is asking Disney and Lucasfilm to remove 'The Last Jedi' from official canon, reports The Independent.

The petition, started by Henry Walsh of Georgia, has well over 13,000 signatures and counting.

In his online plea, he wrote, "Episode VIII was a travesty. It completely destroyed the legacy of Luke Skywalker and the Jedi. It destroyed the very reasons most of us, as fans, liked Star Wars. This can be fixed. Just as you wiped out 30 years of stories, we ask you to wipe out one more, the Last Jedi. Remove it from canon, push back Episode IX and re-make Episode VIII properly to redeem Luke Skywalker's legacy, integrity, and character."

The petition supports the group of fans who have been panning 'The Last Jedi', because of which there is a huge steep divide between critics' reactions and those of non-professional moviegoers.

While some fans are clearly not happy about the direction 'The Last Jedi' takes the franchise in, Rian Johnson has remained open to hearing all the negative backlash.

Meanwhile, Johnson's second installment in the third 'Star Wars' trilogy set the mark for second-best opening weekend of all time by taking in over USD 220 million since its release.

Internationally, director Johnson's tentpole took in USD 230 million from 54 markets for a worldwide launch of USD 450 million.

The 'Star Wars 'franchise has two more films planned - 2018's anthology film 'Solo' and 2019's Episode IX - as well as a new trilogy from 'Last Jedi' director Rian Johnson. 

-ANI