‘Star Wars’: Rian Johnson Isn’t Sure If He’ll Direct ‘Episode IX’

Director Rian Johnson, who is putting the finishing touches on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is not yet sure if he'll return for Star Wars Episode IX.

Star Wars LogoMany fans are already hoping that Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson will stick around to cap off the Sequel Trilogy, but Johnson states that he’s not yet sure if he’ll be directing the next film.

Speaking at Oricon, Johnson revealed that he’s putting the finishing touches on The Last Jedi as the final edit is locked in, and that the movie has several developments in the movie that shocked the cast when they read the script. Later, when asked by RocketNews24 about rumors whether or not he’d be up to directing Star Wars Episode IX, as some rumors have indicated he might, Johnson stated that he hadn’t decided yet:

“It was never part of the plan for me to direct Episode IX, but now, I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I’ve been entirely focused on The Last Jedi, so I’m not really thinking about Episode IX right now. You’re gonna have to wait and see who directs it.”

Please note that the above is a rough translations of the actual quote, since the original article was written in Japanese. In any case, it doesn’t seem like Lucasfilm is in a hurry to announce the new director for Episode IX, as it won’t be likely that they’ll come to a decision until after Star Wars: The Last Jedi is test screened.

Johnson’s comments at the panel – not including the statement on Star Wars Episode IX – can be viewed below:

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will rise on December 15, 2017. The movie’s cast includes Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa, Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, Domhnall Gleeson as General Armitage Hux, Benicio Del Toro as “DJ”, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, and Jimmy Vee as R2-D2.

Source: Oricon, RocketNews24