Lucasfilm has officially moved Rian Johnson's Star Wars trilogy to the backburner. After the Star Wars universe was brought back to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, Johnson's hotly-anticipated film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, hit theaters in 2017. The film, which sees the return of Mark Hamill's iconic Luke Skywalker, was a hit with critics but divided fans, many of whom derided the film for its subversion of iconic elements of Star Wars lore.
Following the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it was announced that Johnson would be helming his very own Star Wars trilogy at some point in the future. No release dates were given for any of the films, but it was largely expected at the time that the new Star Wars trilogy would explore areas of the Star Wars universe outside of the Skywalker saga. Unconfirmed reports have since emerged that Johnson's trilogy of Star Wars films has been canceled, although Johnson himself confirmed in February of 2021 that those rumors are false, and that his trilogy is still moving forward.
According to a new report from Vanity Fair, Johnson's trilogy has now officially been moved to the backburner. The move is apparently due to Johnson's commitments to the Knives Out franchise and the multi-picture deal that he inked with Netflix last year. Check out the official comment from Kathleen Kennedy regarding Johnson's Star Wars trilogy below:
“Rian has been unbelievably busy with Knives Out and the deal that he made at Netflix for multiple movies.”
While suggesting audiences won't be seeing Johnson's trilogy anytime in the near future, Kennedy's comment does confirm that the trilogy has not been canceled, and that the films will happen at some point in the future. The announcement comes amid the release of a general Star Wars franchise plan for the next few years. The plans confirms that, at least for the moment, Lucasfilm's immediate focus is more on the Star Wars Disney+ TV shows like The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka, rather than theatrically released films. Films from Thor: Ragnarok director Taiki Waititi and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, for example, are reportedly still in the works, though neither have release dates.
It remains to be seen what areas of the Star Wars universe Johnson's films will explore but, with the Skywalker saga having concluded in 2019 with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the trilogy has an opportunity to introduce new planets, a new cast of characters, and new stories to become invested in. Most of the fan gripes regarding Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi revolve around his treatment of iconic characters like Luke and his subversive approach to storytelling, an approach that might prove less divisive if used with brand new characters. While much remains unknown about Johnson's Star Wars trilogy, it's now confirmed that it won't be hitting the big screen anytime soon.
Source: Vanity Fair