After initial reports to the contrary, Rian Johnson confirms his Star Wars trilogy talks are still alive and well at Lucasfilm. Johnson made his debut in the long-running sci-fi franchise with 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the second installment in the sequel trilogy that saw Daisy Ridley's Rey begin her Jedi training with a disillusioned Luke Skywalker while John Boyega's Finn and Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron try and find a way to escape a First Order attack that could wipe out the Resistance. Though scoring large critical acclaim, Star Wars: The Last Jedi memorably divided the fanbase right down the middle, with some praising its formula subversions while others criticized it for seemingly throwing away what J.J. Abrams set up in The Force Awakens.
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Johnson began development on a new Star Wars trilogy in November 2017, ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with the confirmation that the films would be separate from the mainline arc of the Skywalker Saga. The Knives Out director's trilogy was reportedly put on the backburner earlier this year at Lucasfilm as they moved towards more anthology movies, and he put his focus into putting together the murder mystery comedy sequels at Netflix. With one of Johnson's two Knives Out follow-ups in the can, he may be returning to a galaxy far, far away after all.
In an interview with Empire to discuss the fifth anniversary of his franchise film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Rian Johnson opened up about his potential Star Wars return. Johnson confirmed that his new Star Wars trilogy talks are still alive at Lucasfilm and revealed that he and Kathleen Kennedy meet regularly to try and hammer out a plan to produce it. See what Johnson said below:
I’ve stayed close to Kathleen [Kennedy] and we get together often and talk about it. It’s just at this point a matter of schedule and when it can happen. It would break my heart if I were finished, if I couldn’t get back in that sandbox at some point.
Johnson's confirmation that his Star Wars trilogy talks are still alive comes a few months after Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy said that the projects were officially on the backburner at the studio due to his commitments on the Knives Out franchise at Netflix. Though this came as welcome news to those who rallied against Star Wars: The Last Jedi, those in defense of his installment mourned the possibility that Johnson wouldn't get another opportunity in the Lucasfilm franchise, namely as he's frequently shown his love and devotion to it throughout the years. With his confirming that he isn't ready to give up on his Star Wars trilogy, those that fall in the latter camp should breathe a sigh of relief knowing Johnson and Lucasfilm are still dedicated to making it happen.
The initial shelving of Johnson's Star Wars trilogy also came at a time in which the franchise's big screen future was largely in the air, with Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron movie reportedly being delayed due to creative differences between the Wonder Woman director and Lucasfilm while various other entries, including Taika Waititi's and Kevin Feige's movies, languished in development. In spite of this, the studio has remained confident in moving the franchise back to the big screen, with Waititi's aiming for a late 2023 release while Feige and Michael Waldron's continues to be in the writing stages. In the meantime, audiences can revisit Star Wars: The Last Jedi streaming on Disney+ now.