There was a time when Lucasfilm was so pleased with director Rian Johnson’s work on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, they announced that Johnson would spearhead a new trilogy of films, endowing him with tremendous control over the franchise’s future. It’s been five years since The Last Jedi released to stellar reviews but divided fans right down the middle. In that time, Johnson’s trilogy was quietly put on the back-burner, which is apparently where it's staying. In a new Vanity Fair spread highlighting the future of Star Wars—both on the big screen and on streaming—Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy made the now-customary comment about the status of Johnson’s trilogy.
She said that the director has been “unbelievably busy” with his Knives Out films, which, her words implied, will probably keep Johnson occupied for the next few years. Crucially, though, Kennedy noted that they’re avoiding using the word “trilogy” not just for Johnson’s films, but Star Wars movies in general. In her own words:
“Rian has been unbelievably busy with Knives Out and the deal that he made at Netflix for multiple movies... I hesitate to use the word trilogies anymore because Star Wars is much more about persistent storytelling.”
What this suggests is that Lucasfilm is going to deviate from the Marvel-minded original plans, and focus on director-driven standalone movies. One of those is said to be produced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, but Kennedy said that there’s no update on that front.
New Zealand director Taika Waititi’s movie will probably be the first out of the gate, followed by the (now even more) delayed Rogue Squadron, directed by Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins. While Waititi's schedule will probably be clear after he releases Thor: Love and Thunder and Next Goal Wins, Jenkins has the third Wonder Woman movie and a planned Cleopatra biopic in the pipeline.
Johnson, as Kennedy noted, is hard at work on his Knives Out movies. The first film debuted to excellent reviews and made over $300 million worldwide, in addition to providing star Daniel Craig with a neat little post-James Bond franchise. The second and third films will debut on Netflix, after the streamer struck a deal reportedly valued at a little less than $500 million. Johnson also serves as an executive producer and the creator of the upcoming Peacock series Poker Face. At one point, he was even supposed to be charting the next decade of Star Wars storytelling with Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, but those two exited their Star Wars deal in 2019.
The franchise appears to be pivoting to streaming meanwhile. With multiple shows in the works, fans will have enough to keep them occupied while Lucasfilm attempts to retool the franchise for the big screen. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.