Star Wars: New trilogy of films announced
Rian Johnson, the director of upcoming Star Wars film The Last Jedi, will be the creative force behind the new films
Heretofore, we’ve had a trilogy of Star Wars trilogies. George Lucas’s iconic first trilogy of the 70s and 80s; the same director’s interminable prequel trilogy of the early 00s; and the current trilogy, which began with JJ Abrams' The Force Awakens and will continue with Rian Johnson’s greatly anticipated The Last Jedi, due for release in the UK on 14 December.
Lucasfilm and Disney have just announced a fourth trilogy is on the horizon, with director Rian Johnson set to be the creative driving force behind this new set of stories set in the Star Wars universe. These new films will be “separate from the episodic Skywalker saga”, we hear, and “will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.”
The announcement that Johnson will be the caretaker for this new stage of the Star Wars saga bodes well for The Last Jedi, suggesting the director of films like Brick and Looper has impressed Lucasfilm headhonchos enough to hand him the keys to the franchise. “We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “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.”
While fans of Johnson might be disappointed to discover he won’t be exploring more personal projects in the near future, the 43-year-old filmmaker sounds delighted to be returning to a galaxy far, far away. “We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi,” Johnson said in a joint statement with Ram Bergman, who has helped produce all of four of Johnson’s feature films and will collaborate with him on this forthcoming trilogy.
“Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can’t wait to continue with this new series of films.”
The news seems to have made Johnson a tad nervous, however, as his first Twitter post following the announcement suggests:
Obviously I hope you like The Last Jedi. But man now I REALLY hope you like The Last Jedi.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) November 9, 2017
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is released in the UK on 14 Dec by Disney. Dates for Johnson's future Star Wars films have yet to be announced