There are major franchies and then there's Star Wars. With generations growing up on the galaxy far far away (and streaming it with a Disney+ subscription), eyes are always on the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows that are on their way. Fans have been wondering for years about Rian Johnson's trilogy of movies, and the filmmaker recently got honest about whether or not we'll ever actually see them.
Johnson's The Last Jedi was a subversive masterpiece in my opinion, which is why I've been hyped to see the Knives Out filmmaker return to the franchise. He's been busy with those whodunnits and Poker Face (which is streaming with a Peacock subscription), so there hasn't been much news about his Star Wars venture. The director spoke to Rolling Stone and got honest about the likelihood of us actually seeing that announced trilogy. In his words:
Nothing really happened with it. 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. 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.
Well, now I'm bummed. While Johnson still has interest in more projects within George Lucas' colorful galaxy, there aren't any real plans for that. Instead, the filmmaker is keeping busy with original IPs, including the ongoing Knives Out franchise (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription).
When Knives Out was a huge success and the first sequel Glass Onion was quickly greenlighted and produced, fans like me wondered how this might influence Rian Johnson's Star Wars trilogy. And it turns out that my fears might have been warranted, as he's seemingly not moving forward with those movies anytime soon... if at all. Excuse me while I go re-watch The Last Jedi for the millionth time.
The Star Wars franchise has been noticeably missing from theaters since The Rise of Skywalker was released back in 2019. While the franchise has continued growing thanks to new shows on Disney+, it should be interesting to see if/when the beloved property returns to the big screen. We just shouldn't expect Rian Johnson to be the first director to start production.
Lucasfilm announced a new trilogy of Star Wars movies, including Daisy Ridley's return as Rey. None of those are coming from Rian Johnson, although their development is still early. As such, we shouldn't expect any big screen adventures on the 2025 movie release list. But that won't stop fans from holding out hope there's a Star Wars flick sooner rather than later.
