Rian Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy updates have been infrequent in the past, but the latest update could lift the spirits of the fans waiting for the trilogy to happen. Announced ahead of Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s release, Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy promised further exploration of the galaxy far, far away with new characters supposedly unrelated to the Skywalker saga. Considering how successful Andor season 1’s departure from the Jedi and the Sith’s matters proved to be among critics and audiences alike, an innovative trilogy from someone like Johnson could be just what the Star Wars films future needs, especially from someone who has already proven able to innovate Star Wars.
Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy was never officially canceled, but an official timeline was also never offered. However, given Johnson’s Knives Out franchise success and his upcoming Peacock series Poker Face, his other work was prioritized, leaving Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy future unknown. The latest updates nevertheless offered some hope about Johnson’s involvement with Star Wars, as he revealed he would “do a Star Wars anything,” even choosing to pivot from films to TV shows if a story were more suitable for the small screen. Johnson also confirmed that talks about his Star Wars trilogy keep happening with Lucasfilm director Kathleen Kennedy, demonstrating that the trilogy’s delay truly is only “a matter of schedule.”
Why Star Wars Needs Rian Johnson's Trilogy
While the Disney+ Star Wars TV shows keep flourishing, all consistently receiving overall positive feedback, the franchise’s film future has looked bleak for a while. Disney+ managed to create hype for its Star Wars TV show, contrarily, Star Wars films never really recovered from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Solo: A Star Wars Story. The two films were not only poorly received by critics and highly contentious among fans, but they also only grossed $515 million and $319.6 million domestically respectively, with The Rise of Skywalker ending up earning the least among the Disney trilogy films and Solo even losing around $76 million in 2018.
Many collaborations have been announced, including those with big names such as Taika Waititi, Kevin Feige, Patty Jenkins, and more, and yet it’s unknown which films will fill the release slots of December 2025 and 2027. In addition, besides Andor, Star Wars seems to lack vision overall, as even its most successful and highly praised TV shows ended up bringing back known and beloved characters, cashing in on the nostalgia rather than forging a new path. This makes Rian Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy still the best future for the franchise, as whenever it happens, the trilogy will undoubtedly aim to have a refreshing approach.
Johnson already proved his ability to create stories wholly embedded in the Star Wars universe that feel new and innovative and appear visually stunning. Considering how Johnson also admitted how fun the creative challenge to develop new, completely different stories in the Knives Out franchise was, it’s clear he’d try to push the story even further in his Star Wars trilogy. Indeed, his Star Wars trilogy not being connected to the Skywalker saga would give Rian Johnson even more freedom to develop it as he sees fit. Paired with Johnson’s obvious openness to anything related to Star Wars, his trilogy could truly embody Star Wars’ most promising future.
When Could Rian Johnson's Star Wars Movies Happen?
With Knives Out 3 being Rian Johnson’s next movie, it’s unlikely his Star Wars trilogy will happen very soon. Considering how it took three years for Knives Out 2 to be released, it’d be safe to assume work on the Star Wars trilogy won’t start for another three years. Whatever the timeframe, Rian Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy will hopefully be prioritized after Knives Out 3’s release, making the ushering in of a new exciting era for Star Wars possible.