A Brave New World Far, Far Away

Rian Johnson is starting a new journey in a land far, far away. The director’s first Star Wars film – The Last Jedi – wasn’t exactly well-received among fans. Its quality is one of the most disputed elements of the Star Wars legacy, and may or may not have played a part in the failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, Johnson’s imagination was enough to win Disney and Lucasfilm over. Before Star Wars: The Last Jedi was in theaters, the writer and director’s own new Star Wars trilogy was announced and greenlit… a testament to the studio’s faith in Rian Johnson. Now, according to his producing partner, that film could arrive as early as 2020!

In an interview with From the Grapevine, Johnson’s producing partner Ram Bergman revealed the smallest of details about the project. But that might include a release date. In regards to the story, Bergman maintains the story is completely original. “It’s a completely new trilogy that writer-director Rian Johnson, my partner, is going to create. It’s all new characters. Everything is new.” Not much to go on there, but when asked what the planned release was for the film, he gave an exciting quote…

“I can’t tell you because we don’t know yet. Maybe in two years; it’s just in the early stages.”

Two years?! Star Wars: Episode IX comes out in almost 2 years. Could Johnson’s trilogy really hit the scene that quickly?

Quick Turnaround

Bergman is Johnson’s longtime producing partner, so chances are he’s in the know. Still, that two years sounds a bit off, doesn’t it? James Mangold is making a Boba Fett film; Stephen Daldry is probably going to make an Obi-Wan film. How much Star Wars can fans really handle? That depends on just what it is, exactly, that will set Rian Johnson’s trilogy apart.

The one part of the Star Wars story that has yet to be explored is, well, the unexplored. Other than Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8, almost nothing new has been added to the entire series in these past 4 films. A few memorable moments and scenes, but no film has truly launched itself into the great beyond of this galaxy far, far away. Rian Johnson’s handling of old Star Wars is controversial. But creating something brand new sounds right up his alley. New roads need to be traveled.

Disney and Kathleen Kennedy have been accused of both fanservice and not-enough fanservice. But at some point, a new fairy tale needs to be told. Sounds like Rian Johnson will be the first director of the modern age to do that.