Yesterday, rumors caught on like wildfire thatRian Johnson’s plannedStar Warstrilogy was no longer happening, and theLast Jedidirector was instead focusing on other projects. This, as it turns out, appears to have been at best bad info and at worst wishful thinking on the part of whinyStar Warsfans. The rumor originated at a website called SuperBroMovies, and the post itself has now beendeleted entirely. Other sites decided to jump on the bandwagon without pausing to consider the source or reaching out to get a comment or confirmation from Johnson or Lucasfilm, and thus the internet kind of exploded there for a bit with this new “news.”
Luckily, shortly after the rumors hit, Johnson responded to a fan on Twitter to confirm the rumors were, in fact, false:
Johnson was of course hired to create an entirely newStar Warstrilogy after his work onStar Wars: The Last Jedi. He and Lucasfilm got along so well that they wanted to continue their partnership, and Johnson is lined up to write and direct at least the first installment of the new trilogy, which will take place in a new setting with new characters we’ve never met before in theStar Warsuniverse. He’s currently in the midst of plotting out the entire three-movie arc.
This is in development concurrently with another series ofStar Warsmovies fromGame of ThronesshowrunnersDavid BenioffandD.B. Weiss, who are poised to start work on those films after they complete the final season of the smash-hit HBO series. Benioff and Weiss’Star Warsmovies are unconnected to and separate from Johnson’s trilogy.
While news of Johnson making a new trilogy ofStar Warsfilms was greeted warmly by many fans, detractors of the direction he tookThe Last Jediobviously were none too pleased. Fortunately, it appears Johnson is still very much intending on making them.
The filmmaker is currently in post-production on an original murder mystery calledKnives Out, which boasts an all-star cast and opens in theaters this fall. One imagines after that hits theaters, we’ll learn more concrete details about when Johnson’s newStar Warsmovies will be happening.
