By Travis Johnson
We were all a bit disappointed when Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick) announced he would not be returning for the third of the new Star Wars trilogy after Colin Trevorrow got the boot, and JJ Abrams, director of The Force Awakens, stepped in. Not that ol’ JJ is a slouch, but Rian Johnson is, well, Rian Johnson – he’s a gun.
Turns out that rain presaged a hell of a rainbow, as Lucasfilm today announced that Johnson has signed on to write and direct a further three (!) Star Wars flicks, with his old sparring partner, Ram Bergman, producing.
“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “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.”
“We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi,” Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. “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.”
No further news at hand as yet, except that Johnson’s trilogy will “…introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.”
So, yay!
