Not solely does this yr mark 5 years of Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Final Jedi – it additionally marks 5 years since Lucasfilm introduced an all-new trilogy of Star Wars films to be created by that movie’s writer-director, Rian Johnson. Half a decade later, these movies are but to materialise – however although, like Luke Skywalker hidden away on Ahch-To, they appear to have disappeared, they’re not completely gone. Chatting with Empire, Johnson made it clear that he hasn’t forgotten about his set of unique Star Wars films, and nonetheless has a burning want to return to the galaxy far, far-off down the road.
“I’ve stayed near Kathleen [Kennedy] and we get collectively usually and discuss it,” he tells Empire of his long-awaited Star Wars collection. “It’s simply at this level a matter of schedule and when it will probably occur. It could break my coronary heart if I had been completed, if I couldn’t get again in that sandbox in some unspecified time in the future.” For now, he’s laborious at working cooking up two Knives Out sequels for Netflix – the primary of which, Glass Onion, is arriving this December. In the meantime, the Star Wars slate is wanting equally busy, with Andor weeks away from debuting, the return of The Mandalorian coming early subsequent yr, and Ahsoka to observe.
Johnson’s feedback observe with what Kathleen Kennedy instructed Empire at Star Wars Celebration earlier this yr – that everybody concerned has a full plate for now, however the movies are not at all lifeless and buried. “Now, all people’s so busy – genuinely busy and dealing on issues,” Kennedy stated a couple of months in the past. “Rian had such a huge success with Knives Out that he’s very dedicated to attempt to get that finished. So it’ll be some time. And now we have to work three, 5 years prematurely on what we’re doing. In order that’s the place that sits. However we love him.” There’s a spark of hope, then. And if The Final Jedi taught us something, it’s that every one it took was a spark to mild the hearth to burn the First Order down. We’re greater than keen to attend for a contemporary batch of Rian Johnson Star Wars tales to ignite.
Learn Empire’s full The Final Jedi five-year anniversary interview with Rian Johnson within the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Thriller difficulty – additionally that includes a world-exclusive take a look at Johnson’s new murder-mystery, and contemporary pictures from Johnson’s private archive throughout his filmography, from The Final Jedi and Looper, to Brick and Breaking Unhealthy. Discover the problem on newsstands from Thursday 1 September, or pre-order a replica on-line right here.
