'The Last Jedi' Director Reveals His 1 Hope For Star Wars After Kathleen Kennedy's Exit

1 week ago 13

Published Jan 26, 2026, 10:16 AM EST

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Following Kathleen Kennedy's exit from Lucasfilm, with it confirmed that Dave Filoni will be taking over as President and Chief Creative Officer alongside Lynwen Brennan as co-president, the now full-time producer suggested that Rian Johnson was "spooked" from returning to the Star Wars franchise by online backlash to Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. Last week, Johnson took to social media to push back against these claims, writing on X: "Lol zero spooked, sorry."

With the dust settling on this unlikely public dispute, Johnson has now broken his silence on his feelings toward the future of the Star Wars franchise, and he has even spoken about the sort of potential return that had the former President of Lucasfilm calling him "spooked." "I love Kathy. I am excited now to see what she does next," Johnson said in a recent interview, adding, "As a Star Wars fan, the most exciting thing for me is always seeing when they bring in fresh voices and fresh filmmakers to come in and tell new stories in that world. That’s what I am looking forward to seeing more happen."

Of his time directing The Last Jedi, Johnson said, "I had the time of my life doing it. I am now an even bigger Star Wars fan than I was when going into it." So would this Star Wars fan, in the shadow of the success of his Knives Out trilogy, be willing to return to the franchise that cost him his biggest directorial backlash yet? "I would feel blessed if that were to ever happen [again]." The possibility of this return remains slim, but should a now more experienced Johnson take on another Star Wars project, it's likely to prove much more popular than his previous attempt.

Was 'The Last Jedi' a Box Office Hit?

There might have been plenty of fan backlash to the movie, earning just a 41% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, but that didn't stop The Last Jedi from proving hugely financially successful. Against a reported budget of $262 million, the film returned an enormous $1.32 billion at the global box office. Not only was it the highest-grossing movie of 2017 worldwide, but, to this day, The Last Jedi is one of the 25 highest-grossing movies of all time.

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