Back before The Last Jedi had even hit cinemas, there was a big, confident announcement from Lucasfilm: that writer-director Rian Johnson would be returning to the galaxy far, far away after Episode VIII to devise his own Star Wars trilogy. In the years that followed, that notion started to dwindle – and all has been quiet on that front for years now. In a new Vanity Fair report, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy teased that there’s “a road map” for Star Wars’ future on the big-screen – one that begins with Taika Waititi’s film, currently being co-written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, followed by Patty Jenkins’ still-on-the-board Rogue Squadron. But for now, said road map doesn’t include Rian’s trilogy.
Though it’s not outright cancelled, Johnson’s trilogy is apparently on the back-burner for now – no surprise, given how busy he is cooking up murder-mysteries. “Rian has been unbelievably busy with Knives Out and the deal that he made at Netflix for multiple movies,” says Kennedy. And, by the sounds of things, after wrapping up the Skywalker Saga with Episode IX, the focus on Star Wars has become less about coming up with three-movie arcs. “I hesitate to use the word trilogies anymore because Star Wars is much more about persistent storytelling,” Kennedy adds. Who knows – maybe after a few more Benoit Blanc investigations, Johnson might return to his Star Wars movies. But for now, it might be time to let the past die.
One thing we likely won’t see any more of is Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo. Despite fan campaigns to create a sequel to Solo: A Star Wars Story, Kennedy reflected on the recasting of iconic characters. “There should be moments along the way when you learn things,” she says. “Now it does seem so abundantly clear that we can’t do that.” More recently, the return of Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian and The Book Of Boba Fett has seen Mark Hamill return to the role, alongside younger body-doubles and deepfake technology. With Star Wars Celebration just over a week away, stay tuned for more news and updates coming from the Star Wars galaxy soon...