Writer/director Rian Johnson has been preoccupied with bringing the world of his original detective Benoit Blanc back to the movies. As the upcoming movie Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is embarking on its theatrical sneak peek event, anticipation is in the air for Daniel Craig’s big return. However, Johnson did happen to offer an update on something that’s also been attached to his name for some time: his return to the Star Wars franchise after making The Last Jedi.
On hand for the L.A. premiere of the film, Variety caught up with the man who directed what could be the most divisive Star Wars movie ever. You’d never think it based on how he talks about the experience, especially with this statement on returning:
Making Star Wars was the high point of my life and so I still, I pray to God I'll be back there someday.
Despite the fervent response to 2018’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson has remained in the conversation with that galaxy far, far away. So much so that in a previous update Johnson recently gave, he noted that he was talking out the details with Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy. That being said, this is a cinematic world that’s undergone some interesting changes in recent times, so one could see some shakiness behind this statement.
This applies in particular to two projects that saw fortunes sway to the dark side of the equation. It wasn’t too long ago that we saw the much hyped Rogue Squadron movie put on ice, as the Patty Jenkins-directed project dropped off the 2023 schedule. With that decision coming after a series of moves that saw the project slip in terms of its priority, the ultimate decision was simultaneously expected, yet shocking.
More recently, Devotion director J.D. Dillard also lost a Star Wars project, which only further calls into question if Disney is still going to stick to its alternating holiday schedule of potentially massive tentpoles. Previously, the framework was laid out so that Star Wars and Avatar would alternate cashing in on this season of box office excitement. Now, with TV seeming to become the priority, that strategy is very much in question.
For now, Rian Johnson’s focus is clearly on Benoit Blanc and whatever Knives Out mystery comes next. Part of that is thanks to the huge commitment Netflix made to the two sequels planned so far, which kicks off with Glass Onion’s release. The other factor that more than likely keeps Johnson focused on this particular world is he’s probably having as much fun as Daniel Craig twisting knives and shattering expectations through twisty original whodunnits.
Though he’s still excited to return to the world of Star Wars, we’re going to see Johnson returning to his own creation very, very soon. It’s all going to unfold on theater screens starting next Wednesday, as Glass Onion: a Knives Out mystery begins its week-long limited engagement. Though if you’re unable to make it, the film will be streaming for those with a Netflix subscription starting December 23rd.
