It was slightly over a week ago that a report emerged claiming that director Rian Johnson had walked away from his planned Star Wars trilogy, yet not only has the rumor since been debunked by the filmmaker himself, but it seems that the trilogy’s first installment may have acquired its production name a few months ago.
According to a new report from Fantha Tracks, Johnson’s next cinematic contribution to the Star Wars franchise was registered under the production name “E&E INDUSTRIES (UK) LIMITED” on October 12th, 2018. The registration was said to be made on the same day as an unnamed Star Wars TV show that’s expected to premiere on Disney Plus.
While the registration of Johnson’s upcoming movie indicates that Lucasfilm can begin hiring crew members under the E&E Industries banner, it certainly shouldn’t be taken as a sign that the film will soon go into production. In fact, with Johnson’s next feature Knives Out not due for release until November, the planned trilogy from the Last Jedi helmsman could still be some wait away.
In the meantime, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have reportedly been offered a trilogy of their own that they’ll begin work on once they’re finished with the final season of Game of Thrones. Like Johnson’s planned saga, Benioff and Weiss’s upcoming films remain shrouded in mystery, and in an interview published by THR just a few days ago, Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn reaffirmed that they still aren’t ready to announce what the next Star Wars film will be.
Here’s hoping Star Wars Celebration in April can bring some clarification on the matter, but regardless of what the future holds for the franchise, Star Wars: Episode IX is set to bring this current era to a close when it arrives in theaters on December 20th, 2019.
