Director Rian Johnson made waves in the Star Wars fanbase with the release of Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. While seemingly divisive as an instalment in the iconic franchise, the film was hugely successful, resulting in Lucasfilm granting Johnson control over an entire upcoming trilogy.
There have been no official updates about the project since its announcement. However, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy recently provided an update on the trilogy, confirming that it is still in development, but hinting that it will be some time before it sees any real progress. "Rian has been unbelievably busy with Knives Out and the deal that he made at Netflix for multiple movies," Kennedy told Vanity Fair.
The Star Wars producer also hinted at the approach the studio is currently taking toward future projects, stating, "I hesitate to use the word trilogies anymore because Star Wars is much more about persistent storytelling." Whether this can be taken as indication of any changes in Johnson's upcoming project is currently unknown. In recent years, Star Wars has been focused on television series for the Disney+ streaming service, following the conclusion of what is being referred to as the Skywalker Saga.
Johnson's The Last Jedi was released in 2017 and sparked fierce debate among the fanbase stemming from a variety of qualities, scenes, plot points and characters featured throughout the film. Fans argue about the film's tone, the Canto Bight scene, the depiction of Luke Skywalker, decision to kill off Captian Phasma and Snoke, among other things. For these reasons, the film has earned both vocal support and criticism from fans and Johnson's peers.
Star Daisy Ridely previously commented on the divided response from fans, stating, "Everyone’s going to have an opinion now anyway on the internet, but I also think it’s fair. If people hold something incredibly dear and think they know how it should be and it's not like that, it’s fair for people to think they were done wrong. It doesn’t mean they were – ultimately, Rian’s a filmmaker and one person can’t dictate how a film is supposed to be – but freedom of expression, sure."
The follow-up film, The Rise of Skywalker, seemingly frustrated certain fans even further with the decision to bring Emperor Palpatine back from the dead and marginalize characters such as Finn. Director J.J Abrams previously stated, "The lesson is that you have to plan things as best you can, and you always need to be able to respond to the unexpected. And the unexpected can come in all sorts of forms, and I do think that there’s nothing more important than knowing where you’re going."
Source: Vanity Fair