The future ofStar Warsmovies is more than a little unclear. A slew of projects have been announced in recent years, fromGame of Thronescreators Benioff and Weiss’ new saga, to Rian Johnson’s secretive trilogy. Many of these don’t appear as if they’ll come to fruition, but Rian Johnson’s trilogy still seems to have some life, even if it is years away. Johnson is currently focused on hisKnives Outmystery films, and if his futureStar Warsmovies come to fruition, they could be incredibly successful by channeling that whodunnit genre and apply it to a galaxy far, far away.
Many speculate that one of the biggest reasons for the lack of news on the Rian Johnson trilogy is the fan reaction toThe Last Jedi.Episode VIII still generates divisiveness and debate to this day, leading some to conclude that Lucasfilm are pushing off the project, perhaps even canceling it, to avoid making a movie that could receive that sort of scrutiny and backlash. However, Johnson has repeatedly confirmed that these films have not been canceled, even as recently as this fall. It does appear that they are still part of the plan for the franchise.
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Right now, Johnson is focused on hisKnives Outfranchise.Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, a sequel to the 2019 film, releases in theaters and on Netflix this winter. The first received rave reviews,achieving 97% on Rotten Tomatoesand earning over $300 million at the box office. Johnson was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Meanwhile, reviews are out forGlass Onion, which has a similar 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and is the first Netflix film tohave a full-scale theatrical releaseprior to its opening on the streaming service. Suffice to say, Johnsonappears to be in his element with theseKnives Outfilms. Many speculated afterThe Last Jedithat he would be better suited to a spin-off film or an original story rather than following up on what JJ Abrams had done with Episode VII. The success ofKnives Outcertainly shows that he can excel in making his own story.
With these two whodunnit mystery films, Johnson has also been able to attract all-star casts to the projects. Chris Evans,Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, Toni Collette, and more all appeared in the first outing. Meanwhile, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Edward Norton, and others make up the cast of the second. Daniel Craig is the detective in both of these films, a smooth-talking southerner by the name of Benoit Blanc. (Coincidentally, he appeared in the sequel trilogy as a stormtrooper interrogating Rey inThe Force Awakens.) This ability to attract this kind of star power could be crucial for a franchise that is looking to begin a new series of movies and, for now at least,move beyond the Skywalker saga. Bringing in well-known names could boost audience interest.
It’s this whodunnit mystery style that Johnson could easily bring over theStar Warsfranchise for his planned trilogy. In recent years, the franchise has excelled when blending the science fiction of a galaxy far, far away with other genres.The Mandalorianis, in many ways, aStar Warswestern show,whereasAndoris a political thriller set within the franchise.The Mandalorianhas essentially been the center of the franchise for three years now, such is the reception of the series, andAndormight just be a television awards contender given the incredible reaction it has received. Rian Johnson’s trilogy could take the same sort of route, being a mystery film set in theStar Warsgalaxy. The possibilities are endless for the plot of his films. He’s been coy on giving away on details of the story, but it seems likely that it will, at the very least, feature Jedi as the main characters.
If the project follows the whodunnit style that Johnson writes so well, his nextStar Warsfilms could be as simple as a Jedi’s mysterious death prompting an investigation into the killer.The killer could be a Sith Lord or another Jedi, or both. Retaining that whodunnit style with a large supporting cast of potential victims (and killers) could also broaden the idea of whatStar Warscan be. That was one of the core goals ofThe Last Jedi,so any future Rian Johnson film would probably push those boundaries once again. Again, the possibilities are seemingly limitless,and the success ofKnives Outboth commercially and artistically is evidence that audiences would surely be interested in this kind of story.
For now,Star Warsis full steam ahead in its television era.The Mandalorianseason three is set to release early next year, andAhsokaandSkeleton Crewwill follow.The Acolyteis another series on the horizon, as is season two ofAndor.
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