The Last Jedi’s Rian Johnson is working on a new Star Wars trilogy, according to a press release from Lucasfilm.
Don’t expect to see more of Luke or even Rey, though. According to the release, the trilogy will be “brand-new” and will “introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.”
The plan is for Johnson to write and direct the first movie and shepherd the other two, with his regular producer Ram Bergman along for the ride as well.
Johnson remains the only person in Star Wars history to both write and direct a movie except for George Lucas himself, and Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy has shown no compunction about removing directors, like Solo’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who were deemed too determined to put their own personal stamp on the material. But initial reports said Kennedy was so pleased with Johnson’s work on The Last Jedi that she asked him to write and/or direct Episode IX as well, and while that didn’t pan out, it’s clear Johnson has a unique place in the franchise history, and its future.
