"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" writer and director Rian Johnson will be returning to the franchise to develop a brand-new "Star Wars" trilogy after the current set of films concludes with "Episode IX."
Lucasfilm has confirmed that Johnson will also be writing and directing the first installment of the new trilogy, which will be separate from the Skywalker saga that has been the center of the franchise since the original films in the 70s and 80s.
In the planned new saga, Johnson will be introducing new characters from a corner of the galaxy that has yet to be explored in previous films.
Entrusting a chunk of the franchise's future to the director is a bold move for Lucasfilm and Disney, and it shows the amount of trust that the studios have put in Johnson. This commitment may also be a hint of how good Johnson's upcoming film, "The Last Jedi," really is.
"We all loved working with Rian on 'The Last Jedi,'" Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, said. "He's a creative force, and watching him craft 'The Last Jedi' from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy."
Johnson's longtime collaborator, Ram Bergman, is also set to produce the first film. In a joint statement, Johnson and Bergman expressed their excitement over the news. "We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on 'The Last Jedi,'" the duo said. "Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can't wait to continue with this new series of films."
The future trilogy is only one part of Disney's future plans for the "Star Wars" franchise. The company is also developing a live-action "Star Wars" television series that will be launched on Disney's own streaming service.
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" is set to be released on Dec. 16. The final film in the current trilogy, "Episode IX," will be released on Dec. 20, 2019.
