The Last Jedi is the most contentious Star Wars film ever made, but there are lots of reasons to be excited for an original trilogy from Rian Johnson.
After being dead in the water for a while, we’ve finally learned a bit more about Rian Johnson’s upcoming Star Wars movie trilogy, namely that it’s still happening!
I'm just going to post this now because I can see that I'm going to get a lot of requests -
— Sariah Wilson (@sariahwilson) February 16, 2021
Yes, Rian's SW trilogy is still on. No dates or timelines because he has other projects going on, but it is happening.
THAT IS ALL I KNOW ABOUT IT. 😁😁😁
We learned this news from author Sariah Wilson, who recently interviewed the director. It might come as a shock to some, given how Johnson’s The Last Jedi was dividing the Star Wars fandom like nothing before it and how we’d heard so little for so long. Most, myself included, assumed Disney had axed the project. But now that we have confirmation that we will see a Rian Johnson-directed Star Wars trilogy, and I couldn’t be more excited!
The Last Jedi may have been the most contentious movie in the series (at least until The Rise of Skywalker came out a couple years later), but I couldn’t help but love Johnson’s refreshing take on the galaxy far, far away. Johnson has a habit of subverting fans expectations, whether it’s in his original movies like Looper and Knives out or in franchise tentpoles like The Last Jedi. It’ll be interesting to see how he takes the ideas he set up in Episode VIII and expands on them.
George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy introduced the ideas of midi-chlorians, microscopic organisms that are the source of the power known as the Force. Applying that kind of scientific explanation took some of the mystery and magic out of the original movies, but Johnson brought it back with The Last Jedi. Luke even has a scene where he explains the Force to Rey in a way that’s reminiscent of Yoda’s explanation in The Empire Strikes Back, something that has less to do with science and more with spiritual ideas of energy and balance. Where Star Wars stories tended to focus on a group of blood relatives able to use the Force, Johnson changed things so that anyone could use it, from a “nobody” like Rey to the Broom Boy who closes out the film (at least until The Rise of Skywalker swung it back in the other direction).
The Last Jedi also explored the concept of a “Gray Jedi,” a Force user who can use both the light and dark sides of the Force without fully succumbing to the dark. While being trained by Luke, Rey occasionally felt the pull to the dark side. Similarly, Kylo Ren would feel the light calling to him, but he committed to the dark side, unlike Rey. While we aren’t sure if Johnson’s new trilogy will explore the Force, Jedi and Sith, I hope he is allowed to flesh out the Gray Jedi concept and create more characters that explore it.
Speaking of characters, Johnson can give a lot of depth and personality to the ones in this movie. He deepened Rey and Kylo, giving them some of the best scenes in the film. And although not everyone will agree, I loved his daring take on Luke Skywalker, who had grown embittered after his failure to train a new crop of Jedi, until training Rey pulled him back to the man he used to be.
I’m excited to see more Star Wars from Johnson because he is excellent at crafting engaging stories with lots of twists, turns and moving parts, although none of this is to say that his movies are perfect. The pacing of The Last Jedi is a bit messy with how much it tells us in a short amount of time. That movie would’ve benefited from cutting a couple of scenes or reworking the Canto Bight plotline. That said, when he had full control on a movie like Knives Out, he crafted an expertly paced whodunit story. With the power to create a new Star Wars trilogy from scratch rather than following up on a movie made by someone else, he could do wonderful things.
And of course, The Last Jedi is one of the most visually stunning Star Wars movies to date, with several gorgeous scenes. And if the behind-the-scenes videos are any indication, he’s great at getting the best performances from his actors.
I was one of the fans very satisfied with what Johnson did with The Last Jedi, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. Given how many fans hated the movie, he’ll probably get some backlash, but that never seemed to phase him. May the Force be with him.
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