On November 9, 2017, Lucasfilm announced that The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson would helm an entirely new Star Wars trilogy—an ambitious, standalone saga set apart from the Skywalker narrative. The project was initially met with enthusiasm, promising to chart bold, uncharted territory in a galaxy far, far away.
But as the years have passed, and Johnson’s updates have grown increasingly vague, hopes for the trilogy’s future have dimmed.
Case in point, Johnson was recently interviewed by The Independent who asked about the status of the ambitious project.
Johnson replied, "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.”
In short, it’s no longer a matter of when, but if.
The uncertainty surrounding the trilogy is perhaps unsurprising, given the polarizing legacy of The Last Jedi. While critics largely praised the film for its bold storytelling and subversion of expectations, the audience response was deeply divided. Its Rotten Tomatoes audience score reflects that stark contrast, capturing the rift between fans who found Johnson’s vision refreshing and those who felt it betrayed the series’ core.
Controversial choices, like reimagining Luke Skywalker as a reclusive cynic, framing Rey’s heritage as irrelevant, and the much-debated Canto Bight sequence, ignited passionate debate across the fanbase. To some, these decisions breathed new life into the franchise; to others, they undermined its mythos.
Despite the initial excitement, Lucasfilm has remained tight-lipped about Johnson’s trilogy since The Last Jedi's release. Details about characters, timelines, or story arcs were never publicly shared. What little is known came from early press releases and scattered comments from Johnson and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who both described the trilogy as a fresh narrative, separate from existing lore, set in a previously unexplored corner of the Star Wars galaxy.
For now, Johnson remains focused on expanding his Knives Out mystery series for Netflix. And while the door to Star Wars hasn’t been closed entirely, the path back seems increasingly unclear.
Kathleen Kennedy admitted back in 2022 that Johnson was moving on from the Star Wars universe, stating, "Rian has been unbelievably busy with Knives Out and the deal that he made at Netflix for multiple movies."
In regards to his experience making The Last Jedi, Johnson previously stated, "I feel like, for better or for worse, I had my chance at the plate. I swung. I was very lucky to get to do [that] [and thanks to] the people at Disney and Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy [for] protect[ing] the creative process so that we could really go in and I could really do what I wanted," Johnson continued. "That's one thing I don't feel any regrets about or anything like that."
Despite Rian Johnson expressing no regrets about his time in the Star Wars galaxy, a reunion seems increasingly improbable.
The significant backlash from segments of the fanbase following The Last Jedi, coupled with his thriving creative partnership with Netflix on projects like the Knives Out series, suggests Johnson is content focusing his energy elsewhere.