The Star Wars sequel trilogy remains one of the most mixed aspects of the beloved sci-fi franchise, as it was the beginning of a new era under Disney for the world that George Lucas had built. While each film has been carrying its respective reception, it was the Star Wars: The Last Jedi ending that left the audience with strong responses.
In a new interview with Empire, Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson was asked about whether he would consider returning to helm another installment for Lucasfilm. Johnson stated, “That cog will be turning the rest of my life. I love Star Wars,” but stressed that “if some day it makes sense to come back to it, for both of us, it would be the most wonderful thing in the world.”
The eighth installment grossed over $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, making it the second most profitable film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Star Wars: The Force Awakens grossed $2.07 billion while Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ended with $1.07 billion, as both films were helmed by J.J. Abrams.
Johnson had also been tapped to both direct and write a new trilogy, as the official Star Wars website announced on November 9, 2017, only a month before the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, that his future with a galaxy far, far away was just beginning. No release dates had been set for any of the three films that he was working on.
At the time of the announcement, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stated, “We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi. He’s a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy.” However, Johnson’s trilogy ended up not going forward.
In July 2025, the Knives Out filmmaker shared with Rolling Stone that while he and Kennedy had talked a lot about it, the trilogy faded away, following the success of his murder-mystery movie with Daniel Craig, which has now emerged into a series of films. Johnson stated the following:
“Nothing really happened with it. We had a great time working together, and they said, “Let’s keep doing it.” I said, “Great!” I would kick ideas around with Kathy. The short version is Knives Out happened. I went off and made Knives Out, and was off to the races, busy making murder mysteries. It’s the sort of thing if, down the line, there’s an opportunity to do it, or do something else in Star Wars, I would be thrilled. But right now I’m just doing my own stuff, and pretty happy.”
While he may not be involved with the franchise anytime soon, there are already several upcoming Star Wars movies in the works. Set to release on May 22, 2026, Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu will finally see Pedro Pascal getting to reprise Din Djarin on the big screen, after years of headlining his own Disney+ series.
Currently in production is Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, with Ryan Gosling as the lead, set to arrive in theaters on May 28, 2027. Lucasfilm also has a Star Wars trilogy in the works from Simon Kinberg, James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, along with the Rey Skywalker movie from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
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- Created by
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George Lucas
- First Film
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Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
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Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
