Once upon a time, Rian Johnson was being courted by Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm to craft his own “Star Wars” trilogy, which came together after he directed “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
Flash forward to 2025, and we’re still waiting on those promised projects, but Johnson is shedding some light on what is behind that delay. While speaking with The Independent this month, Johnson admitted that his “Knives Out” trilogy of films starring former James Bond actor Daniel Craig has been his priority, alongside his hit murder mystery comedy series “Poker Face” (arguably one of the highlights of Peacock offerings).
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“What happened? ‘Knives Out,” Johnson said when directly asked why his “Star Wars” trilogy never materialized. “I mean, I kind of went down the murder mystery rabbit hole, I’m focused on making other stuff. But that wouldn’t rule out it happening down the line. If I get back in the Star Wars universe someday, I’d be the happiest person.”
That optimistic last line is something fans of the idea of Johnson’s return to the “Star Wars” universe might want to hold on to. Johnson’s Netflix deal for the two sequels, “Glass Onion” and “Wake Up Dead Man,” is set to complete the original lucrative deal with the streamer. Although we’ll have to wait to see if a fourth “Knives Out” installment is announced or not, along with Netflix deciding if they want more sleuthy whodunnits with Benoit Blanc beyond that.
Netflix hasn’t announced when “Wake Up Dead Man” is coming to the platform in 2025.
We’re also now in a post-“Andor” era, where a creative like Tony Gilroy was able to execute two seasons of a “Star Wars” story that was much more mature, placed the force to the sidelines, and, echoing modern political times, all while amping up existing themes in the franchise. You have to imagine that Lucasfilm and Disney are going to be much more open to new, creatively driven visions for “Star Wars,” and not just hardcore, die-hard fan service projects (Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have that side covered).
Only time will tell if Johnson truly makes his return to a galaxy far, far away.
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
