Rian Johnson's Star Wars Trilogy Is Officially Dead

Published 6 days ago

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, andthe work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notablyFanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season ofFuturama orCastlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from theSAG-AFTRA andWGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

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Nearly a decade after it was first announced,Rian Johnson's long-in-developmentStar Wars trilogy has been permanently grounded. The director confirmed that his plans were "effectively dead"during a new interview where he addressed his desire to still work within a galaxy far, far away after helming the massively divisiveStar Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017. It ends what's been a winding sagafilled with delays and speculation as he turned his attention towardscompleting hisKnives Out trilogy at Netflix. However, he wanted to emphasize that, while he never got to create the intergalactic stories he wanted, he's not ready to shut the door on the franchise for good.

"A part of my brain will always be inStar Wars,” he said in the interview. “It’s so much a part of me and the way I think.” Johnson has long been vocal about his deep passion for the franchise and desire to create something new within that universe, even if his lone film, with a sense of humor thatrubbed some fans the wrong way anda contentious approach to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), wasn't exactly what audiences were looking for. Back in May, he saidhe'd be "the happiest person" if he ever got to direct anotherStar Wars movie, though he admitted that his desire to build a new franchise, namelyKnives Out, ultimately kept that from happening. That still worked out quite well for him in the end, earning a lucrative deal at Netflix to create two new Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) mysteries that havebeen showered with critical acclaim.

Johnson will always divideStar Wars fans, though his trilogy had the potential to bring something fresh to the franchise, following characters never seen before in an entirely new setting within the same universe. For what it's worth, the director also maintained a positive relationship with Lucasfilm throughout the process, which could mean a return sometime down the road. His plans were, however, in the chaotic shuffle with no shortage of other feature projects ordered after the advent of 2019'sThe Rise of Skywalker that arein various stages of fizzling out or coming to fruition, likeShawn Levy's upcomingStar Wars: Starfighter withRyan Gosling. Next on the docket isJon Favreau'sThe Mandalorian & Grogu, coming to theaters on May 22, 2026, and featuringPedro Pascal reprising his role as Din Djarin from the small screen.

What's Next for Rian Johnson?

Johnson isn't exactly wanting for work despite the death of hisStar Wars trilogy. The third film in hisKnives Out series,Wake Up Dead Man, releases in theaters next week on November 26 and arrives on Netflix soon after on December 12, complete with another star-studded ensemble around Craig and a glittering 95% scorefrom critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Although he's complete with the murder mystery trilogy for now, Johnson is keen to potentially make more stories with Blanc down the line if the demand is still there. For now, his next focus isa new "paranoid thriller" that may harken back to his high-concept sci-fi original projects likeLooper. There's also the matter ofPoker Face, which was cancelled after Season 2 on Peacock and isnow being shopped around with the intent of introducing a new Charlie Cale totake the lie-detecting lead from Natasha Lyonne —Peter Dinklage.