Rian Johnson Is Still Developing A New STAR WARS Trilogy

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Last night presented an interesting time to be on the internet. You see, a major Star Wars rumor popped up- the kind of story that would be on the tips of everyone’s tongues this morning. But then, just as quickly as it sprang up, it was promptly killed by the man at the center of it: Rian Johnson.

In case you missed it, the internet rumor machine decided that Johnson was no longer working on a new trilogy of Star Wars films.

I don’t know who the first to report the story was, but it kind of doesn’t matter. The rumor had been on my radar for a day or two, but I didn’t have a quick way to validate it so I sat on it. Due to the nature of the rumor, though, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone ran it- regardless of whether it had been properly vetted or not.

Thankfully, Johnson helped me to not regret the decision to be patient by tweeting out that he was, indeed, still working on a new Star Wars trilogy.

No it isn’t true, I’m still working on the trilogy. With all due respect to the movie bros, who I’m sure are lovely kind bros with good fraternal intentions.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) February 14, 2019

“No it isn’t true, I’m still working on the trilogy,” Rian Johnson tweeted late last night, effectively squashing the rumor. “With all due respect to the movie bros, who I’m sure are lovely kind bros with good fraternal intentions.“

To his credit, Johnson took it all in stride. In an exchange with a site that apologized for running it, he wrote, “No harm no foul at all guys, thanks. I think the rumor game makes fandom funner.“

So if you’re a fan of Rian Johnson, and you’re excited to see what he creates next in the Star Wars galaxy, crisis averted.

Personally, I probably wouldn’t have minded if this had been true, simply because I’m not a fan of The Last Jedi and don’t know that Johnson’s sensibilities with this mythology match mine as a fan. Some were quick to say that this would’ve been a victory for toxic fandom, but- to me- it would’ve simply been Kathleen Kennedy accepting that Johnson’s vision didn’t necessarily fit with where Lucasfilm wants to take the franchise- perhaps after reading his treatments for the three films he’s developing.

But as I’ve said elsewhere, despite my reservations about TLJ and Johnson’s new trilogy, one of the things that excites me about Star Wars is the boundless landscape creators have been given to let their imaginations run wild in. This means there’ll occasionally be detours I don’t care for, but also that there’s always a chance the next film or TV series set in that galaxy will thrill me.

For example, Episode VIII left me feeling nonplussed, yet I’m insanely excited to see what J.J. Abrams gives us with Episode IX.

George Lucas gave us a sandbox to play in, so let’s play. Even if I end up disliking where Johnson takes things, what’s to say I won’t love what Benioff and Weiss do with their three movies?

That’s the beauty of being a Star Wars fan right now. A ton of great creators are being given a chance to explore the galaxy from a multitude of angles, so there’s sure to be something out there for everyone. Therefore it’s probably best to just live and let live on this one, people.