Rian Johnson Weighs in on Star Wars Director Turnover

As Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker approaches, fans of the franchise are left wondering what the future holds. While Lucasfilm seems to have a solid grasp on their Disney+ content from the new Star Wars: The Mandalorian to the upcoming shows about Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan as well as the Rogue One prequel series that's set to star Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, the question of future films is still up in the air. Recently, it was revealed that the planned trilogy from Game of Thrones' creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss was scrapped, which leaves the mysterious new set of films from Rian Johnson, who helmed Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In a recent interview with Variety, Johnson spoke about the recent director turnover within the franchise.

"From David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to Colin Trevorrow, there's been an enormous amount of turnover behind the camera on Star Wars. Why is it so difficult for directors to stay employed on these films?," Variety asked.

"I can't speak to the experience that anyone else has had. I would caution that other people's sets are like other people's marriages. You think you know what's going on with them, but the only thing that's absolutely true is that you're wrong. I can only speak to my experience, which was an absolute dream from top to bottom, beginning to end. From Kathy [Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy] to Bob Iger to J.J. [Abrams] to all the craftsmen," Johnson explained.

There have been back-and-forth rumors about whether or not Johnson's Star Wars project is happening since the year began. Back in February, an unreliable source reported that Johnson had walked away from Star Wars, only to have the director debunk those reports. Things sat quietly for a few months until a new rumor rose up in the summer that claimed Johnson's Star Wars Trilogy was officially dead (again). That rumor wasn't given much weight until this fall when it seemed like Johnson himself was casting doubt on his future with Star Wars:

"Well we'll see. I'm still talking to Lucasfilm, they're figuring out what they're doing and we'll see what happens," Johnson told BANG Showbiz. "But I'd be thrilled if it happens, and I'm working on my own stuff too."

Naturally, that bit of uncertainty caught the fan base's attention, which eventually led to Johnson having to clear up his earlier statement:

"Did I say 'if'? Oh god," Johnson said [laughing]. "I have no update at all. But I'm still working with Lucasfilm on it, and they're figuring out when they do what and everything."

Since then, it was reported that Johnson's trilogy won't take the 2022 release date previously held by the Game of Thrones showrunners. Hopefully, more news will pour in as many of us are excited at the prospect of seeing more Star Wars from Johnson.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker lands in theaters on December 20th.