Rian Johnson’s Star Wars Trilogy Is on Hold

Forum 1 year ago

Rian Johnson’s Star Wars Trilogy Is on Hold

Director Rian Johnson already had his own Star Wars film and was slated to get his own trilogy, too. But according to Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, that trilogy is currently not being worked on. This is an update from February 2021 where Johnson said it was still in development.

Speaking to Vanity Fair about the future of Star Wars content from Disney, Kennedy was asked about what movies fans might be able to expect. With the world of Star Wars booming on Disney+ in a television format, Kennedy noted that feature-length films are still in the works, including ones from directors Taika Waititi and Patty Jenkins (which seemingly refutes an earlier report of it being shelved). However, as for Johnson, Kennedy noted that his deal with Netflix has kept him from developing the planned trilogy film that was announced more than five years ago now.

“Rian has been unbelievably busy with Knives Out and the deal that he made at Netflix for multiple movies,” Kennedy said when asked about Johnson’s trilogy.

With Johnson currently busy with his Netflix deal, it’s unclear if — or when — fans will ever get to see his future takes on a Star Wars trilogy. After releasing 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi to incredibly favorable reviews by critics but was generally divisive among fans, Disney announced that Johnson would be handling his own trilogy in the Star Wars universe, one that would see Johnson direct all three films.

However, following the tumultuous release of 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, as well as the explosion in popularity of the multiple Disney+ series, Disney has pivoted to more bite-sized content for the franchise, with more than six new live-action series in development at Disney+.