Rian Johnson has finally acknowledged what fans have known for years: his Star Wars trilogy isn’t happening.
In a new THR interview, Johnson reflects on The Last Jedi, the backlash, and his changing relationship with the fandom.
He says he now engages far less with criticism, noting that the “love and the hate” are both part of Star Wars, even if it hit him personally.
Johnson originally signed on for a brand-new trilogy in 2017, before The Last Jedi even released, but the interview at THR openly says the plan is “effectively dead.”
He adds that “a part of [his] brain will always be in Star Wars,” but that reads far more like nostalgia than any real future with Lucasfilm.
The Last Jedi’s Fallout Still Shapes Disney’s Strategy
There’s no way around it: The Last Jedi derailed the Star Wars franchise.
Before Johnson’s movie, Disney had multiple theatrical projects lined up and The Rise of Skywalker was already in production.
Immediately after TLJ, everything changed. Disney announced no new Star Wars films, the slate froze, and Lucasfilm shifted entirely to Disney+ shows.
The studio then cycled through one abandoned movie after another — Kevin Feige, Patty Jenkins, Taika Waititi, Damon Lindelof — none moving forward.
You don’t halt theatrical Star Wars unless something major breaks. That “something” was TLJ, and Disney has been dealing with that fallout for seven years.
Star Wars Movies Are Still Barely Moving
Today, Lucasfilm is only now inching back to theaters, and the first movie out of the gate isn’t a reinvention or a new saga, it’s The Mandalorian & Grogu, arriving in May 2026. That’s the safest piece of Star Wars IP Disney has left.
The Mandalorian & Grogu will be followed by Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars: Starfighter, which sounds more standalone and not connected to the greater Star Wars universe.
It’s safe to say that Lucasfilm hasn’t recovered its pre-2017 momentum, and the lack of theatrical confidence goes straight back to Johnson’s film.
Johnson’s Farewell Feels Final
Johnson says Star Wars will “always be a part of [him],” but nothing suggests he’ll ever return.
If Disney wanted his trilogy, it would already exist. Instead, The Last Jedi sparked backlash, Solo bombed, theatrical plans shut down, and Johnson moved on to his murder mystery universe at Netflix.
His trilogy isn’t delayed. It’s over.
