Rian Johnson isn't letting the backlash to Star Wars: The Last Jedi influence his new Star Wars trilogy. Disney successfully relaunched Star Wars a few years back with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the film's record-breaking success made The Last Jedi one of the most anticipated films of 2017. After all the build up, there was some unexpected backlash from fans. This came despite rave reviews from critics. Prior to this response, Disney showed confidence in The Last Jedi and Johnson by giving the director a trilogy all his own.

In the months since and as The Last Jedi rolled out, the conversation over what Johnson's trilogy will hold has continued. He even received three more movies without even pitching a story. But if The Last Jedi is any indication, Johnson will continue to push Star Wars in new directions. And, he isn't letting the backlash to his last film influence where he'll take his next ones.

Related: Last Jedi Backlash Won't Change Episode IX

Fandango's Erik Davis spoke to Rian Johnson about The Last Jedi's response and what impact (if any) it's having on what he's planning. Unsurprisingly, Johnson isn't letting the criticisms get to him, and he instead understands that any negative responses from fans about The Last Jedi came from a place of care.

Seeing as how Lucasfilm is very protective over the Star Wars brand and how The Last Jedi is one of the more divisive entries in the saga, it wouldn't be that surprising to learn that changes were coming. Whether that came from Kathleen Kennedy or even was self-imposed by Johnson, keeping fans pleased will obviously help keep the longevity of the franchise alive. But, it's also refreshing to see that they aren't being reactionary to the response either. As work has just begun on the trilogy, it still sounds like Johnson has complete freedom to do whatever he wants, in whatever era he wants, and with whatever characters he wants.

While Johnson could publicly be saying that he isn't letting the response influence his creative process, it could subconsciously still happen. That's not to say that it absolutely will and that he'll pull back a bit with his trilogy, but it's certainly a possibility. If there's one reason above all else that wouldn't happen, it may just be because Johnson is a huge Star Wars fan, too (and he doesn't care about The Last Jedi haters). He wants to create and expand this universe the best way he can, and sometimes that could mean going in directions not everyone agrees with. It's also important to note how early on this development is, so even though there's no immediate influence, that's not a guarantee Lucasfilm couldn't push back on some of his ideas down the road. Hopefully that doesn't happen and Johnson is allowed to see his vision play out as he intends.

MORE: Star Wars Doesn't Need a Course Correct After Last Jedi

Source: Erik Davis