Rian Johnson Finally Confirms His Star Wars Trilogy Is Dead

Rian Johnson has confirmed what many suspected: his planned Star Wars trilogy is no longer happening. In a recent interview on Radio Andy, the director of Knives Out stated the project isn’t currently being worked on and hasn’t been for several years, offering the most definitive update to date.

Rian Johnson explained he’s been busy with other projects, including a series of Knives Out films, when discussing a potential return to Star Wars. He described working on The Last Jedi as a highlight of his career and emphasized he maintains a good relationship with Lucasfilm. While there are no current plans, he’s open to revisiting the Star Wars universe if the opportunity arises in the future.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SiriusXM (@siriusxm)

It’s hard to imagine a more definitive end to a film series. Rian Johnson’s planned Star Wars trilogy has been effectively abandoned since it was first announced in 2017, when Lucasfilm excitedly revealed that the director of The Last Jedi would lead a new storyline in the Star Wars universe.

Eight years have passed, and now Johnson is part of a growing group of artists whose projects with Lucasfilm were announced with a lot of fanfare, promoted extensively, and then silently cancelled without any official explanation.

The Vanishing Act: How Lucasfilm Keeps “Announcing” But Rarely Delivering

Johnson’s announcement follows a pattern we’ve seen before at Lucasfilm. Several projects – including films from Patty Jenkins (Rogue Squadron), Taika Waititi (an untitled film), a planned New Jedi Order movie starring Rey, and James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi – were initially announced with a lot of excitement, but then Lucasfilm stopped talking about them completely.

It often feels like Lucasfilm announces new projects specifically to create good news around the time of investor meetings or big events like Star Wars Celebration, especially for president Kathleen Kennedy. However, these projects rarely make it past the initial announcement.

There was a lot of excitement around several planned Star Wars projects. A Rogue Squadron film, intended to be directed by Patty Jenkins, even had a promotional video filmed at an Air Force base. Dawn of the Jedi, from the director of Logan, was described as a grand, epic story. Taika Waititi’s project was praised for its unique and creative approach. And at one point, Kathleen Kennedy announced New Jedi Order with Daisy Ridley appearing on stage.

None of them have entered production.

Johnson’s planned trilogy is now effectively stalled—it hasn’t been officially cancelled, but there are no current plans to move forward with it. Disney and Lucasfilm aren’t showing any signs of revisiting the project, and there are no scripts or production arrangements in place.

The Unspoken Reality: Lucasfilm’s Film Slate Is in Shambles

This is significant because Lucasfilm almost never officially cancels a project. They usually just say it’s delayed, like they did with Rogue Squadron. So, Rian Johnson directly stating that his planned Star Wars trilogy isn’t moving forward is a break from their typical practice of staying quiet about projects that aren’t happening.

Lucasfilm’s plans for television are becoming clearer. The show The Acolyte was canceled due to poor reviews, a rare move for the company indicating the story won’t continue. Skeleton Crew is currently on hold while Lucasfilm focuses on bringing The Mandalorian to movie theaters with The Mandalorian and Grogu, their first film release since 2019.

Lucasfilm’s recent movie plans have been a bit of a mess – many projects either never got past the idea stage or were cancelled due to creative disagreements.

“Not Canceled” — But Come On

Look, I gotta give Johnson some credit for being honest, if not much else. He didn’t try to hide what he’s really into – Knives Out is where his heart is, and honestly, a return to Star Wars feels like a long shot. When he says he’s ‘not actively working on it,’ that’s Hollywood code for ‘don’t hold your breath’ – it pretty much means that project is dead in the water.

Well, it’s official. This latest news pretty much seals the deal: Rian Johnson’s planned Star Wars trilogy is dead in the water. It’s a shame, because there was a lot of initial hype and excitement around it, but Disney has clearly shelved the project – quietly swept it under the rug, really. It’s the same fate as so many other promising ideas, like the long-discussed ‘Rogue Squadron’ movie – a lot of talk, then…nothing.

It’s possible Johnson might return to the Star Wars universe eventually. However, his planned trilogy has joined a long list of Lucasfilm projects that were never fully developed.

2025-11-10 14:57

The Vanishing Act: How Lucasfilm Keeps “Announcing” But Rarely Delivering

The Unspoken Reality: Lucasfilm’s Film Slate Is in Shambles

“Not Canceled” — But Come On

Read More