Rian Johnson has finally said the quiet part out loud — his Star Wars trilogy isn’t happening. Speaking on Radio Andy this week, the Knives Out filmmaker offered one of the clearest updates yet on the long-dormant project, confirming that it’s not in active development and hasn’t been for years.
“I’ve had my hands kinda full making these,” Rian Johnson said when asked about his Star Wars Trilogy. “I made a whole other trilogy of Knives Out movies… Making The Last Jedi was, like, the best experience of my life. And I’m still tight with the folks at Lucasfilm. We’re not actively working on it right now, but if, down the line, it makes sense to come back into that universe, I’d be thrilled.”
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That’s about as polite a burial as one can give a film series. The Rian Johnson Star Wars trilogy has been a ghost project ever since its announcement in 2017 — when Lucasfilm was eager to proclaim that the director behind The Last Jedi would helm an entirely new corner of the galaxy.
But here we are, eight years later, and Johnson has now joined the growing list of creatives whose Lucasfilm projects were loudly announced, heavily promoted, and then quietly mothballed without so much as a formal obituary.
The Vanishing Act: How Lucasfilm Keeps “Announcing” But Rarely Delivering
Johnson’s statement fits perfectly into a familiar Lucasfilm pattern. Projects like Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron, Taika Waititi’s untitled film, the long touted New Jedi Order Rey movie, and James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi all followed the same trajectory — splashy reveal, glowing coverage, and then total radio silence.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm attends the launch event for Lucasfilm’s new Star Wars series The Acolyte at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
These announcements often seem strategically timed to generate positive headlines for Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, particularly during investor presentations or major media events like Star Wars Celebration. Yet the projects themselves seldom survive beyond the press release phase.
Rogue Squadron was once touted as the next big cinematic installment with Patty Jenkins filming a hype video on an Air Force Base. Dawn of the Jedi was hyped as a “biblical epic” from the director of Logan. Taika Waititi’s movie was described as “wildly original.” Kathy herself brought Daisy Ridley up on stage to announce New Jedi Order.
None of them have entered production.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: (L-R) Daisy Ridley, Kathleen Kennedy and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attend the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
And now Johnson’s trilogy officially joins the same category — not dead on paper, but with zero momentum, no scripts, no production plans, and no indication that Disney or Lucasfilm intend to revive it.
The Unspoken Reality: Lucasfilm’s Film Slate Is in Shambles
This admission matters because Lucasfilm rarely says the words “it’s canceled.” Even Rogue Squadron was initially listed as “postponed indefinitely.” But Johnson’s direct acknowledgment that his Star Wars trilogy isn’t being worked on breaks that long-standing tradition of corporate silence.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: (L-R) Leslye Headland, Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm attend the launch event for Lucasfilm’s new Star Wars series The Acolyte at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
On the TV side of things, Lucasfilm is a bit more clear. The Acolyte was canceled after a disastrous reception, marking one of the first times Lucasfilm declared a property truly dead. Skeleton Crew, however, remains in limbo as The Mandalorian gets ready to make the jump to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu, which will be Lucasfilm’s first theatrical release since 2019.
In short, Lucasfilm’s cinematic direction has become a hall of mirrors — full of projects that either never existed beyond a PowerPoint slide or were abandoned in creative confusion.
“Not Canceled” — But Come On
Johnson deserves credit for being forthright (and not much else). He didn’t sugarcoat his priorities — Knives Out is his focus, and the Star Wars galaxy is, at best, a distant possibility. Yet the words “not actively working on it” are Hollywood-speak for “this ship has sailed.”
This admission is the final confirmation that the Rian Johnson Star Wars trilogy has gone the way of Rogue Squadron — praised, promoted, and then quietly memory-holed.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
Maybe, someday, Johnson will find his way back to that galaxy far, far away. But for now, his trilogy belongs to a growing graveyard of Lucasfilm ideas that never hit hyperspace.
Do you think we’ll ever see the Rian Johnson Star Wars trilogy? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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This did not subvert my expectations.
He reminds of the mole from the old whack-a-mole game from the 80’s. That’s not a compliment.
He should have just announced Star Wars is dead.