Rian Johnson is still thinking about a return to Star Wars.
While doing press for Wake Up Dead Man, the next installment in his ensemble murder mystery franchise, Johnson told Empire Magazine, “That cog will be turning the rest of my life. I love Star Wars.” His last (and so far, only) Star Wars movie, 2017’s The Last Jedi, proved divisive. It currently sits at a 16% “Heinous” score on Criticless with 132 voters.
Still, Johnson seems optimistic about returning to a galaxy far, far away. “If some day it makes sense to come back to it, for both of us, it would be the most wonderful thing in the world.”
The Rise of Rian Johnson and the Decline of Star Wars
Johnson first gained industry attention in 2006 with his indie darling Brick, a low-budget neo-noir thriller led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The auteur director went on to have modest success with 2008’s The Brothers Bloom and the 2012 time-travel, sci-fi thriller Looper. So when Disney and Lucasfilm announced in 2014 that Johnson was signed to direct a Star Wars movie in a brand new trilogy, fans familiar with his work were intrigued.
Luke Skywalker Drinks Green Milk in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – Disney+
The Last Jedi had a three-day global opening of $450 million, which at the time was the second biggest opening weekend ever. Unfortunately, once fans saw the movie many felt disappointment, if not outright disgust, which has seemingly carried over to all subsequent Star Wars projects save a very few. The next entry in the franchise, the prequel Solo: A Star Wars Story, became the first Star Wars movie to take a loss.
J.J. Abrams returned to the trilogy to direct the final chapter, 2019’s Rise of Skywalker, a $600 million attempt at course correction after Johnson’s divisive creative choices. It’s clear now after recent reporting by Forbes that Rise of Skywalker also lost money. The fact that it’s the last theatrical Star Wars movie to date is telling.
Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico kisses Finn, played by John Boyega in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – Disney+
The next time we see Star Wars on the big screen, it will be in 2026 with The Mandalorian & Grogu, a continuation of the once-popular Disney+ TV series. For now, it seems, Disney and Lucasfilm appear to be playing it safe.
Directors and Direction
Their cautious approach has led to Disney turning down ready-made projects from major talent. According to World of Reel, Steven Soderbergh recently took to BlueSky confirming that the script for The Hunt for Ben Solo was complete and greenlit by Lucasfilm when Disney rejected it. He reportedly asked Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy whether Disney had ever done that before, and she said no.
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens (2015), Lucasfilm
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At some point or another, Lucasfilm has announced projects from Patty Jenkins, Guillermo del Toro, James Mangold, and other award-winning directors. So far, none of these have gone into production, if they’ve even been mentioned since. How Disney plans to maintain and expand what is arguably the biggest film franchise in history remains a mystery.
Also a mystery is if Lucasfilm still has plans for Johnson, or if that door is closed.
Blank Canvas
Before the release of The Last Jedi, Lucasfilm announced that Johnson would helm his own Star Wars trilogy. “He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career,” Kennedy said of Johnson in the statement. “Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Kathleen Kennedy attends 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)
Since the release of The Last Jedi, it hasn’t been mentioned again. Johnson even admitted in a 2022 interview that if his trilogy didn’t happen, “it wouldn’t be the end of the world for anyone.” While he’s still holding onto hope, many seem to have lost faith in Star Wars altogether.
Will Rian Johnson ever return to Star Wars? Would you want him to? Let us know in the comments!
Wonderful isn’t the word that comes to my mind when I, and probably millions of others think at the thought of him coming back to Star Wars. I think if Disney announced a new film in any of their top flight franchises with him at the helm it would send their stock plunging and be a huge step further down the road to failure they’re already travelling.
He should stick with Knives Out. It concentrates some of the worst of Hollywood into one set and gives normal folk a single source of “entertainment” to avoid.
This is more evidence that Disney’s goal is to destroy Star Wars. They are being paid by Blackrock and other globalists, allegedly, to rewrite, and destroy, noble White IPs.
Uh, gosh. Y’know what? IF they hired ME at $20 mil or so to direct a Star Wars picture or ANY picture that would be “wonderful” too. Like, a job. Money. Attention. He thinks it is NEWS that he finds the prospect “wonderful”??? ROTFL! Send in your resume and don’t call us, we’ll call you. Not. Sheesh