Rian Johnson Reveals When He’ll Start Working On His Star Wars Trilogy

Oscar Isaac in The Last Jedi

The past few years have been very exciting for Star Wars fans. After Disney acquired the rights to the property from Lucasfilm, the generations of moviegoers have been brought a variety of new and exciting content from the galaxy far, far away. This includes both main installments and standalone films, and the beloved space opera isn't slowing down anytime soon.

All eyes are currently on how J.J Abrams will wrap up the Skywalker Saga forever with Episode IX, there are also two sets of movies being developed. One of which is a trilogy by The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, and now we've got an idea regarding when he'll get to work. Johnson recently presented his upcoming movie Knives Out at CinemaCon, and revealed he'd be going back to the galaxy after that film is released.

This update comes to us from Twitter, and will no doubt excite the generations of Star Wars fans who are eager for information about the franchise after Episode IX. J.J Abrams' still untitled movie will arrive this holiday season, but Disney hasn't shared its future plans with the public. It's currently unclear if any more standalone films are on the way, or when Rian Johnson's trilogy might first arrive in theaters.

The Star Wars franchise has been pumping out new releases every year, so any gaps in time before new content is going to feel excruciating to moviegoers. But Rian Johnson will craft three separate movies, which proves that Lucasfilm was happy with his work on The Last Jedi. So while the project may have subverted fan expectations and received some hate from moviegoers, Johnson is being given even more freedom to put his stamp on the galaxy far far away.

Of course, Rian Johnson isn't the only filmmaker curating new movies for the Star Wars franchise. Game of Thrones creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff are also developing their own Star Wars flicks, although it's unclear exactly how many we should expect. But considering the work the duo has done in Westeros, it's an exciting development. We're days away from Season 8's premiere, with the upcoming series finale presumably freeing up Weiss and Benioff's schedule to focus on The Force.

It should be fascinating to see what Rian Johnson does with his trilogy of movies, especially considering how many shocking moments were in The Last Jedi. Johnson made liberal changes to the canon with his blockbuster, which is why some fans took umbrage with the risks he took. He made the franchise hero into a jaded recluse, finally gave Leia force abilities, and purposefully cut down various fan theories. By killing Snoke and revealing Rey's parentage, he freed up Episode IX to go into new and exciting places, so it feels like anything could happen with his upcoming movies.

First Rian Johnson will focus on Knives Out, which will arrive in theaters on November 27th. Episode IX will follow shortly thereafter, debuting on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.