Shortly before the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017, it was announced that filmmaker Rian Johnson had been hired to write and direct a new Star Wars trilogy. It was a clear sign of confidence from Lucasfilm, and Episode VII was ultimately a critical and commercial success.
Star Wars fans, however, were less enthused with Johnson's approach to this Galaxy Far, Far Away. After contradicting much of what J.J. Abrams had done in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi proved particularly controversial, with its handling of Luke Skywalker's story arc, for example, a major sticking point.
Even Mark Hamill has openly criticised how things played out for the Jedi Master, revealing that he didn't agree with the choices that were made.
Abrams tried to undo many of Johnson's decisions in The Rise of Skywalker, but in a bid to please everybody, he struggled to make anyone happy. As for Johnson, he moved on to his Knives Out trilogy and seemed content to leave Star Wars in his rearview after the polarising reaction to The Last Jedi.
Appearing at the Newport Beach Film Festival (via SFFGazette.com), Johnson revealed whether the fan reaction to The Last Jedi was responsible for him not making new Star Wars films.
"No, not at all," he confirmed. "In fact, it’s the reason that I wanted to. My overall experience with putting the movie out, and what you’re talking about with fan feedback. I mean, first of all, I’m a lifelong Star Wars fan. So I know the deal. I know that Star Wars fans are passionate about this stuff. We love the stuff we love, we hate the stuff we hate, and we fight about it. And that’s been happening since the original trilogy."
"I was in college when the prequels came out. Are you kidding me? The prequel wars? We had a few. I mean, everybody did. And so, the notion that Star Wars has been this kind of Shangri-La, united fandom, and that [nothing] could then split that apart [is false]," Johnson added. "The reality is Star Wars has always been something that has meant different things to different people. And I think that’s part of the fun and the passion of it as fans, is arguing about it respectfully."
"I’ve talked to so many people over the years, since we made that movie, who have such deep connections to Star Wars and who have deep connections to that movie," the filmmaker noted. "And so it’s been the most positive experience I’ve ever had with anything I’ve made, in terms of interacting with people who’ve seen it. I came out at the other end of it loving Star Wars fandom more than I did even going into it."
Johnson has repeatedly said that he would still like to make his Star Wars trilogy, but it appears no closer to happening. We don't even know what it would have been about or whether Lucasfilm loosely agreed to let him make more movies in an effort to simply drum up further interest in The Last Jedi.
You can hear more from the filmmaker in the player below.