Rian Johnson Says His STAR WARS Trilogy Was “Very Conceptual” and Never Had an Outline or Treatment

Rian Johnson has opened up again about his Star Wars trilogy project that was announced after he made The Last Jedi, but according to him, nothing ever happened with the project. It never even got past the conceptual stage.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the Knives Out filmmaker addressed the long-standing rumors and fan questions surrounding the project. While it was officially announced, it was never more than a series of loose conversations with Lucasfilm.

“Nothing really happened with it,” Johnson admitted. “We had a great time working together, and they said, ‘Let’s keep doing it.’ I said, ‘Great!’ I would kick ideas around with Kathy.

“The short version is Knives Out happened. I went off and made Knives Out, and was off to the races, busy making murder mysteries. It’s the sort of thing if, down the line, there’s an opportunity to do it, or do something else in Star Wars, I would be thrilled. But right now I’m just doing my own stuff, and pretty happy.”

Johnson’s trilogy was more of a placeholder announcement than a project in active development. No scripts, no outline, not even a treatment. As he puts it, “It was all very conceptual.”

While some fans have long wondered what Johnson might’ve done with a blank slate in a galaxy far, far away, especially after the polarized response to The Last Jedi, his trilogy never reached the launchpad.

Back in 2022, when Johnson was asked if he might never return to the Star Wars universe, he said: “I would be sad. I love the world. I love the people. I love Star Wars fans. I love the passion of how they engage in it.

“There’s nothing like telling a story in this world and then experiencing people truly connecting to it and letting you know that. It’s extraordinary.”

So, will we ever see Johnson return to Star Wars? He’s clearly open to it. But for now, his project it litterally just ideas that would have a long long way to go to becoming a reality.