Star Wars' latest movie announcements are more bad news for Rian Johnson's trilogy. In November 2017, one month before Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi hit theaters, Lucasfilm announced the director would be overseeing an all-new Star Wars move trilogy. Plot details were nonexistent, but the plan called for Johnson to explore new characters and new locations in the galaxy far, far away. In the wake of The Last Jedi becoming one of the most polarizing blockbusters in recent memory, there were several rumors suggesting Johnson's trilogy had been cancelled, but publicly, Johnson maintains the project remains in development.
After Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concluded Disney's original five-movie slate last December, the property's future on the big screen was uncertain. The studio set aside release dates for new Star Wars movies in 2023, 2025, and 2027, but nothing else was known beyond that. More recently, however, Lucasfilm has provided some clarity on their upcoming plans, which make the prospects of Johnson's trilogy happen more unlikely.
At Disney's Investor Day 2020, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy took the time to announce a plethora of new Star Wars projects. In addition to several TV shows being made for Disney+, she also confirmed Rogue Squadron, a new Star Wars movie directed by Patty Jenkins. It is set to premiere in December 2023. Kennedy also touched on Taika Waititi's Star Wars film, saying Waititi is currently working on the script. Johnson was not mentioned at all, casting further doubt about his trilogy.
If Johnson was part of Lucasfilm's immediate future, odds are he would have been highlighted during the investor call. Instead, the studio indicated they were moving in a different direction by spotlighting a pair of other filmmakers. With Rogue Squadron taking the 2023 date, it's likely Waititi's movie comes out in 2025. That release window hasn't been officially confirmed, but he does have to complete Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder before jumping to the galaxy far, far away. There's still nothing about Johnson's trilogy, which was initially announced more than three years ago. It's true Johnson was busy with Knives Out in the interim, but a long time has passed without any concrete developments. Investor Day would have been the ideal venue to shed some light on the trilogy, and it was ignored entirely. There hasn't been an official announcement about Johnson's departure (like there was when David Benioff & D.B. Weiss left their Star Wars movies); it's just odd Lucasfilm chose not to mention him once at an event that was a showcase for an abundance of new Star Wars content.
This gives people reason to believe Lucasfilm hasn't settled on what the 2027 Star Wars movie will be, which makes sense considering it's several years away. Rather than announcing something well in advance (only to change course down the line), the studio is waiting until they have something definitively concrete ironed out. There's no telling what that will be. After all, prior to the Investor Day reveals, there were no reports connecting Jenkins to a future Star Wars movie. As for Johnson, he's arguably better off without Star Wars, allowing him a greater range of creative freedom. He's already working on a Knives Out followup, which sees Daniel Craig reprise his role as Benoit Blanc. Considering how well-received Knives Out was among critics and audiences (compared to the more divisive responses to The Last Jedi), this could all turn out for the best. Still, for those who did enjoy The Last Jedi, it's hard to not feel somewhat disappointed.
