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Rian Johnson's 'Star Wars' trilogy on hold as he keeps busy with 'Poker Face' and 'Knives Out'
Rian Johnson's journey to more Star Wars movies could be very long indeed.
It's been more than five years since Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrived and marked the bold middle chapter in the sequel trilogy that began with The Force Awakens in 2015. That means it's also been more than five years since The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson announced his plans to make a new trilogy of Star Wars films at Lucasfilm. So, what's happening on that front? Not much, according to Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy.
Speaking to Variety during Star Wars Celebration over the weekend, Kennedy discussed all the new projects Lucasfilm revealed at the event -- including three new Star Wars movies in the coming years -- and updated fans on some projects that have been discussed but not necessarily given significant updates in some time. That includes Johnson's proposed trilogy, which Kennedy gave him the go-ahead to pursue way back when they were still working on The Last Jedi together.
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“Rian and I talk all the time,” Kennedy said. “He is unbelievably busy. So we’re not actively involved in anything at the moment because he’s doing another one of the Glass Onion movies and then God knows what else. But he really wants to step back into the space. It’s a big commitment of time, so that’s really on him.”
Johnson's original pitch for his Star Wars future was, as far as we know, rather vague to begin with. He simply liked the idea of pushing the franchise out into new territory, and telling a whole new story set on planets we'd never seen before, following brand-new characters on brand-new adventures. After enjoying working with the filmmaker, Kennedy told him to pursue the idea, but after The Last Jedi, Johnson was already committed to making Knives Out. Then came the Netflix deal for two more Knives Out mysteries, and of course the launch of the Peacock original series Poker Face, and Johnson's been firmly in mystery world ever since he stepped back from his first Star Wars release.
Now, according to Kennedy, the ball is in his in court, which means it may be quite some time before we see any movement on more Johnson Star Wars. There's still at least one more Benoit Blanc mystery to be made, and of course Poker Face has already been renewed for a second season on Peacock, so he's definitely got a lot on his plate.
Check out Rian Johnson's Poker Face, streaming now exclusively on Peacock!
