Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director Open to Making a TV Series
With it being five years since writer/director Rian Johnson delivered audiences Star Wars: The Last Jedi, fans have wondered if he had more stories to tell in the galaxy far, far away, and Johnson has recently confirmed that, for the right story, he could see himself pivoting to the small screen. Even before The Last Jedi landed in theaters, Lucasfilm was so confident in his skills as a storyteller that they announced they were enlisting him to develop a trilogy of films, and with no updates on the timing of those films emerging in the years since the announcement, we now won't be entirely surprised if those ideas are reworked into a TV series.
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he would do a Star Wars TV series, Johnson confirmed, "I would do a Star Wars anything. And if I had an idea that I was excited about, that worked better as a show than a movie, I'd do it that way. At the moment, we're in between making the next Benoit Blanc movie and thinking about Poker Face. I keep getting together with [Lucasfilm president] Kathy [Kennedy] and having conversations. Who knows? Making The Last Jedi was the best experience in my life, so I should be so lucky."
Following the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm was releasing one Star Wars film a year, up until 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. At this point, it's unknown what the next theatrical offering will be, all while the studio's slate of live-action TV shows continues to expand. In this regard, having whatever Johnson was planning for a trilogy switch gears into a TV series might maximize gains for the studio and the filmmaker, especially with Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi proving how effectively a movie concept could pivot into a long-form narrative.
Even though it's been years since Johnson's trilogy was announced, it's clear there's no love lost between him and the studio and that he's as passionate about the franchise as ever.
When asked by The New Yorker recently if he still gets excited about the franchise as a fan, Johnson proclaimed, "Oh, f-ck yeah. Yeah. My God. Yeah. In terms of that, I think I love Star Wars even more now. I think what actually frustrates me is people's perception that I had a negative experience somehow, or people's perception that it was somehow a traumatic experience, or something. The reality is that it was a completely joyful experience even through the back end of it, the past few years, the reception of it."
Stay tuned for updates on Johnson's Star Wars projects.
What do you think of the filmmaker's remarks? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!