Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson may not be done with the galaxy far, far away quite yet. His announced new trilogy has received few concrete updates since its initial announcement, but the director promised in a new interview that he isn't finished with the franchise.
In a new interview, Rian Johnson reiterated his interest in returning to the Star Wars universe. Johnson's The Last Jedi was wildly profitable at the box office, but it remains one of the franchise's most divisive films following its 2017 release. That divisiveness didn't stop Disney from announcing during its 2017 quarterly shareholder meeting that Johnson would helm a new Star Wars trilogy. In 2020, Netflix bought a pair of Knives Out sequels for a whopping $469 million that cemented Johnson's involvement in the deal, and updates on the long-forgotten trilogy stopped coming over the subsequent years.
The lack of progress provoked rumors that Johnson's trilogy was axed, though he continued to express his desire to return to Star Wars. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy debunked the cancellation rumors, promising that the delay was due solely to his Knives Out commitment at Netflix.
Johnson Would Be 'the Happiest Person' Revisiting Star Wars
In an interview with The Independent, Johnson was asked about the status of his long-dormant Star Wars trilogy. Johnson explained he "wouldn't rule out it [becoming involved with Star Wars again] happening down the line:"
"I mean, I kind of went down the murder mystery rabbit hole – I’m focused on making other stuff. But that wouldn’t rule out it happening down the line. If I get back in the Star Wars universe someday, I’d be the happiest person."
While he admits the Knives Out franchise had been taking his creative energies away from the Star Wars universe, Johnson's clear enthusiasm for the franchise hasn't waned, and it's hopeful to hear his optimism about the trilogy's future potential.
Johnson also discussed the controversies that plagued The Last Jedi. Though at the time, Johnson described the online ire as "incredibly painful," today, he has more positive reflections about his time in the franchise. In the interview, he admits experiencing "wars between Star Wars fans," which still left a positive impact:
“I feel like I've had such a wonderful, lovely, positive experience with the fans during the course of it. That's left me a bigger Star Wars fan than I ever was, which is really something, because I grew up with it as the bedrock of my childhood.”
Will fans ever see Johnson's long-promised trilogy? With Knives Out 3 set to premiere later this year, his commitment to Netflix would be wrapped. That's a hopeful development given that Johnson and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy have always maintained that the Netflix deal for the two-film series was the sole obstacle to Johnson's trilogy.
Meanwhile, rumors that Kathleen Kennedy could be moving aside as Lucasfilm head leave her future, and therefore the status of projects she championed, in limbo. Viewers are unlikely to get concrete updates in the near future, but as far as he's concerned, Johnson and Star Wars are still in the picture.
