Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson provided an update on his Star Wars status.
Johnson spoke with Uproxx while promoting his Knives Out film about his status with Lucasfilm and Star Wars.
Johnson stated, “I’m where I can’t say anything about it. Still completely in process with it.” He would add, “It’s just, I don’t know. “It’s a process” means it’s a process. So that means it could change, it could shift. There are a bunch of moving parts with it.” (Related: The Last Jedi Director Rian Johnson Begins Blaming Fans for a Bad Movie)
That’s all the update he gives us. However, he did reveal that when he first saw The Empire Strikes Back in theaters he was “disappointed.”
Johnson revealed, “But, as a kid, I distinctly remember being disappointed by The Empire Strikes Back.” Johnson would go on to admit Empire Strikes Back was the first Star Wars film he saw, and it would eventually become his favorite.
“I think my dad took me when I was really young to see A New Hope. Yeah, no, I remember, especially in the context of Return of the Jedi, which as a kid I adored. And so, yeah, I remember very vividly. But then Empire slowly became my favorite one. Look, man, same about you, we were in our twenties when the Prequels came out.”
He would then praise the passion of Star Wars fans whether that passion is expressed through anger or through positivity. (Related: Rian Johnson and John Boyega Attack Star Wars Fans and Consumers At Their Own Risk!)
“I think that anything with a passionate following always has a passionate following and Star Wars is that, even more so. You can’t be angry at one side of it when it’s also the reason the positive is so passionate, you know? It’s all part of the same thing and it always was like this basic thing. That’s why I love it.”
Rumors have swirled around Rian Johnson about whether or not the announced trilogy will actually take place given the fan feedback towards The Last Jedi and the ensuing box office bomb of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Johnson’s comments do nothing to really address those rumors as he indicates “there are a bunch of moving parts” and “it could change, it could shift.”
Not only are rumors swirling around Johnson and the announced trilogy, but the director has notoriously gone after the fans he’s now praising for being passionate. In an attempt to defend The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson has tried to pull every trick out of the bag. He’s blamed Russian trolls and politics. He’s blamed the fans. In fact, he’s even described Star Wars fans as “manbabies.”(Related: After Blaming Fans, Rian Johnson Now Points to Russian Trolls and Politics for Hatred of Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
Johnson has also tried to explain away massive plot holes from the film that radically alter Star Wars lore such as the Holdo Maneuver. (Related: Rian Johnson Continues Apology Tour – Attempts to Explain Why Holdo’s Suicide Attack Isn’t a Plot Hole)
It’s interesting that Johnson appears to be changing his tact and tone as Disney gears up to release The Rise of Skywalker. Could it be possible Disney and Lucasfilm don’t want him to gin up any more negative controversies as they try and sell the public on Rise of Skywalker?
What do you make of Johnson’s comments regarding Star Wars? Do you think he’s actually working on the announced Star Wars trilogy?