Rian Johnson Says “Nothing Really Happened” With His Star Wars Trilogy
Writer & Director Rian Johnson recently sat down with Rolling Stone and revealed a slightly disappointing update on his Star Wars trilogy as well as his feelings about The Last Jedi backlash.
Jul 14, 2025
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Key takeaways:
When asked about his potential Star Wars trilogy, Johnson admits “Nothing really happened with it” and it was more about “kicking ideas around with Kathy”
He further clarified that the project was made more difficult by the success of his Knives Out movies saying “The short version is Knives Out happened. I went off and made Knives Out, and was off to the races, busy making murder mysteries.”
However, Johnson refuses to rule out a return in the future saying “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.”
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Deep dive:
Johnson also spoke on his reaction to The Last Jedi backlash and compared it to his original feelings on the Prequels saying “Everyone was ruthless at the time. And of course now the prequels are embraced...it’s more that this push and pull, and this hatred to stuff that seems new, this is all part of being a Star Wars fan. Culture-war garbage aside, I think that essential part of it is a healthy part.”
Rumored resentment over *The Rise of Skywalker* was also shut down with Johnson explaining “You’re talking about a movie made by my friends, with my friends in it...it’s a Star Wars movie. It’s all stuff I love. I’m not the one to come to for a hard-hitting critique. You can go to YouTube for that.”
Johnson’s full interview is available now from Rolling Stone including the origins of The Holdo Maneuver, his decision to kill Snoke, and more!
Eric Eilersen is a Senior Writer at Youtini and co-host of The Youtini Show. He loves collecting Star Wars Funkos, lightsabers, and LEGO as well as playing video games, reading Brandon Sanderson novels, watching the Dallas Cowboys, and spending time with his partner and pets. You can follow him at @EricEilersen.
