Rian Johnson‘s rumored Star Wars trilogy is no longer in development at Lucasfilm, but president of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy would still very much like to work with the director in the Star Wars universe again.
Speaking to Variety during this past weekend’s Star Wars Celebration in London, Kennedy gave an update on the planned Johnson trilogy that was originally announced in 2017. According to Kennedy, those films are no longer being developed, but not because the studio doesn’t want them. Instead, it’s because Johnson is simply too busy, even though the two continue to talk about what the future may hold.
“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.”
Kennedy’s comments echo those of Johnson’s from late December. Johnson said that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he didn’t get to make another Star Wars film but that he’d still really like to.
Johnson’s first (and, so far, only) foray into Star Wars came in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a film that was met with extremely mixed opinions once it was released. While some saw it as a fantastic film and entry into the Star Wars series, others criticized its deviation from the norm and from what some fans might have been expecting. Despite its divisiveness, The Last Jedi still was a smash hit at the box office, earning $1.3 billion worldwide and becoming the second-highest-grossing Star Wars film ever.
Following The Last Jedi, Johnson signed on to direct a trilogy of Star Wars films, but nothing has been heard about their status as of yet.
