Rian Johnson Said He "Had A Blast" Watching 'Rise Of Skywalker' & It Was A "Really Special Experience"

For many film fans, the first question that came to mind after they watched “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” was, “I wonder what Rian Johnson thinks about this?” No matter what you think of the Skywalker Saga finale, it’s clear after watching the film, ‘Rise’ doesn’t play well with Johnson’s previous film, ‘The Last Jedi.’ So, naturally, you would think that the filmmaker hates the new film, right? Well, not so much.

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Speaking to MTVNews at this year’s Oscars (where Johnson was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for “Knives Out”), the filmmaker was asked the $1 million question—What did he think about director JJ Abrams’ ‘Rise of Skywalker?’

“I had a blast, man,” said Johnson. “Made me so proud and seeing the heart and soul that JJ put into it. And seeing my friends who were in the movie bring the whole thing to a conclusion. Yeah, for me as a ‘Star Wars’ fan, it was a really special experience.”

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While the cynic in me thinks this is a diplomatic answer that side-steps the behind-the-scenes drama and doesn’t further bring hatred from trolls, there’s also a large part of me that thinks Rian Johnson is a sincere guy that really did enjoy the film. Well, he didn’t actually use the word “enjoy,” but it’s clear that he doesn’t hate the film, at least.

Does this mean that Rian Johnson is still going to work with Lucasfilm on his new trilogy of “Star Wars” films? Is he pleased with every single plot point in ‘Rise?’ Does he wish things were different? Who the hell knows? Those are questions that we’ll likely never get the answer to. Well, except for the first question, which, speculatively speaking, seems like a strong “unlikely.”

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So, sorry fans that were hoping for more “Star Wars” drama. It doesn’t appear that Rian Johnson is going to feed that fire anymore.