We knew this day would come. Disney has announced that they will be producing a brand new Star Wars trilogy — one that does not involve the Skywalker family in any way.
Studio chairman and CEO Bob Iger made the declaration on Tuesday, November 9, announcing that Rian Johnson — director of the upcoming Episode 8: The Last Jedi — has been hired to write and direct an all-new Star Wars film trilogy to take place in a yet-to-be explored corner of the galaxy. The films will be the first in the franchise to not feature members of the Skywalker family, and reading between the lines, it sounds as if they could also be the first since the original film to not include any previously-seen characters.
“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, according to Variety. “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.” Iger also announced that Disney — but not Johnson — will be producing a new live action Star Wars television series, which will debut on the company’s new streaming service, possibly as early as late 2019. Iger announced the service will be priced “substantially below” the $10.99 a month Netflix charges subscribers.
Disney and Lucasfilm are showing a tremendous amount of faith in Johnson with this decision, effectively handing him the keys to their most lucrative franchise before even seeing how well The Last Jedi performs. But it sure seems like they like what they’ve seen from him so far, and given their recent turbulent history with directors, we’ve got to take their show of support as a good omen for The Last Jedi‘s prospects.
We’re still not sold on Porgs, though.
