With Star Wars: The Last Jedi now completed ahead of a December release and J.J. Abrams set to tackle the final entry in this current trilogy, I had small tinge of hope that Rian Johnson may use his newfound clout to helm an original project outside of a galaxy far, far away. It looks like that won’t be the case, as Lucasfilm have just announced the writer-director will be creating a brand-new Star Wars trilogy and he’ll write and direct the first entry.
“Separate from the episodic Skywalker saga,” Disney says, “Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.” As Kathleen Kennedy drops directors left and right from the franchise, this bodes quite well for The Last Jedi, as well as those that have hoped this series will go in a new, prequel-free direction.
Check out the full press release below. Oh, and Disney is also creating a live-action Star Wars series that will launch on their new streaming service, likely in 2019, Variety reports.
For director Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi was just the beginning of his journey in a galaxy far, far away.
Lucasfilm is excited to announce that Johnson will create a brand-new Star Wars trilogy, the first of which he is also set to write and direct, with longtime collaborator Ram Bergman onboard to produce.
As writer-director of The Last Jedi, Johnson conceived and realized a powerful film of which Lucasfilm and Disney are immensely proud. In shepherding this new trilogy, which is separate from the episodic Skywalker saga, Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.
“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “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. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.”
“We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi,” Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. “Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can’t wait to continue with this new series of films.”
Johnson’s upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives in U.S. theaters on Dec. 15, 2017.
No release dates have been set for the new films, and no porgs were available for comment.
We’ll leave you with Johnson’s thoughts on the news:
Obviously I hope you like The Last Jedi. But man now I REALLY hope you like The Last Jedi.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) November 9, 2017