Star Wars: The Last Jedi split the franchise's fanbase, but it was still a critical and commercial hit ($1.3 billion at the box office and a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score). With that in mind, it's no wonder Disney and Lucasfilm wasted no time in signing Rian Johnson up to take the helm of a brand new trilogy of movies.
Plot details were never revealed, meaning we didn't find out which era of this Galaxy Far, Far Away Johnson intended to explore. Fans were mixed on the prospect of seeing more Star Wars from the writer/director, and the trilogy became yet another unmade project on Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy's watch.
Johnson's attentions eventually shifted to his Knives Out movies, and a lucrative deal with Netflix that means he's now putting the finishing touches to the upcoming third instalment of the Daniel Craig-led murder mystery franchise.
Talking to Rolling Stone (via SFFGazette.com), Johnson elaborated on why his Star Wars trilogy hasn't come to fruition. "Nothing really happened with it," the filmmaker admitted. "We had a great time working together, and they said, 'Let’s keep doing it.' I said, 'Great!' I would kick ideas around with Kathy. The short version is 'Knives Out' happened."
"I went off and made 'Knives Out,' and was off to the races, busy making murder mysteries," he continued. "It’s the sort of thing if, down the line, there’s an opportunity to do it, or do something else in 'Star Wars,' I would be thrilled. But right now I’m just doing my own stuff, and pretty happy."
Johnson clarified that his trilogy was "all very conceptual," confirming that he never developed "outline or a treatment or anything" for the movies. In other words, it's another project announced prematurely by Kennedy.
It's starting to feel like the same could be said for the three features announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2023. Dave Filoni's crossover movie is clearly still a long way off, while work on Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's Rey movie and James Mangold's First Jedi story seems to be going nowhere fast.
For what it's worth, Kennedy recently hinted at a new approach to Star Wars storytelling on the big screen.
"I really think that now we’re in a position where it’s broadened the possibility of stories and filmmakers we can bring in to tell stories that mean something to them – it doesn’t necessarily have to connect to every little thing that’s been done in Star Wars; it can actually be a standalone story that then builds into many, many other stories," she teased.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is up next for the studio, with Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling's Star Wars: Starfighter eyeing a 2027 release.Rian