Filmmaker Rian Johnson has been super busy over the last few years. He famously put his spin on the Star Wars franchise with The Last Jedi, before pivoting over to his acclaimed whodunit franchise Knives Out. Lucasfilm clearly was impressed with his work, and offered him another movie in the galaxy far, far away… although it’s been in stasis for years thanks to Johnson's schedule. And he recently got real about his Star Wars follow-up possibly falling through.
There have been a number of Star Wars movies announced by Lucasfilm, before eventually being scrapped or sitting in development hell. Technically Rian Johnson is still attached to bring another movie to life, although it’s unclear if/when things might actually start moving forward. The Glass Onion director recently was asked by Insider if he’d be devastated if his sophomore Star Wars effort didn’t actually go through, answering honestly with:
It wouldn't be the end of the world for anyone, I think. But I would be sad. I love the world. I love the people. I love 'Star Wars' fans. I love the passion of how they engage in it, there's nothing like telling a story in this world and then experiencing people truly connecting to it and letting you know that. It's extraordinary. So I'm hoping I get to do it again, but nothing is the end of the world until the end of the world actually happens, which, what day of the week is it?
There you have it. Despite the extended wait that’s accompanied its announcement, it sounds like Rian Johnson is still very much committed to bringing another Star Wars movie to life. He genuinely seems like he wants to return to the iconic space opera, this time from outside of the main nine-film Skywalker Saga. Hopefully this happens sooner rather than later, although clearly Johnson is having the time of his life with the burgeoning Knives Out universe.
Rian Johnson’s comments came as he’s promoting Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which is the second installment of his mystery franchise starring Daniel Craig. The first movie was a wild success, and he’s already expressed interest in a threequel to the anthology series. And as such, his return to Star Wars has taken longer than fans might have originally expected.
It should be fascinating to see what Rian Johnson centers his next Star Wars story on, especially now that the main timeline has reached its end. The Looper filmmaker purposefully subverted fan expectations for The Last Jedi, poking holes through various theories that had been popularized since The Force Awakens hit theaters. At first this resulted in a ton of backlash, but the movie has gotten more love as time has gone by. Given his unique POV, it seems like he could take the next movie just about anywhere.
Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Star Wars fans have grown quite accustomed to new movies hitting every few years. But it’s currently unclear exactly when the galaxy far, far away will actually return to theaters. While the franchise has brought live-action TV content on Disney+, various announced projects have been scrapped or put on hold. And as for Rian Johnson, he’s clearly having a blast focusing on the Knives Out movies. So we’ll just have to wait and see how long it takes for him to pivot back to George Lucas’ colorful universe.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will arrive on Netflix on December 23rd. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year. Just don’t expect to see any Star Wars titles featured, unfortunately.
