Fans of The Last Jedi rejoice, for Rian Johnson has today confirmed that his planned Star Wars trilogy is very much going to happen. The project was originally announced in the run-up to TLJ‘s release, when Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm were so convinced that Johnson had struck gold that they gave him the keys to the kingdom.
Then, the film came out and was met by a fan reception that was…uh, let’s go with mixed. Many (myself among them) thought it was brilliant and a necessary course correction after the shallow nostalgia-fest of The Force Awakens. Others, though, argued that there were too many women in space, that they ruined Luke, that the space physics didn’t stand up etc. etc. etc.
So two weeks ago, when Johnson hinted that his trilogy might be cancelled, many fans breathed a sigh of relief. He’d said in an interview:
“Well, we’ll see. I’m still talking to Lucasfilm, they’re figuring out what they’re doing and we’ll see what happens. But I’d be thrilled if it happens, and I’m working on my own stuff too.”
That “if” sounded like a big downgrade for the project, with many assuming Johnson’s trilogy had been cancelled to make way for Game of Thrones’ David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ own trilogy. On top of that, there are the persistent rumors that Disney wants to get a Knights of the Old Republic trilogy into production. That would be three trilogies, so surely something has to give, right?
But it’s looking like it won’t be Johnson. Entertainment Tonight asked him about the statement and he confirmed he misspoke, saying:
“Did I say ‘if’? Oh god. I have no update at all. But I’m still working with Lucasfilm on it, and they’re figuring out when they do what and everything.”
That said, while it may still be happening, it certainly doesn’t sound like it’s full steam ahead. I guess we’re going to have to wait and see.
One thing we don’t have wait much longer for though is the finale of the Skywalker saga: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which hits theaters on December 20th.
