Rian Johnson, writer/director of the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi (in theaters Dec. 15), has been tapped to create a new Star Wars movie trilogy. Lucasfilm announced the news Thursday.
“We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, in a statement. “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 new Star Wars films will be separate from the ongoing Skywalker saga — so they won't be Episodes X, XI and XII — and introduce new characters to the expansive lore of the galaxy far, far away.
“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,” Johnson said in a joint statement with producer Ram Bergman.
Johnson took to Twitter to make his first post-announcement comments: "Obviously I hope you like The Last Jedi. But man now I REALLY hope you like The Last Jedi."