It should come as no surprise that after the massive success of the new Star Wars movies, Disney has announced that the saga will continue. Rian Johnson—who directed the upcoming Last Jedi—will create an all-new Star Wars trilogy. These new movies, which he's both writing and directing, are "separate from the episodic Skywalker saga, Johnson will introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored," the announcement reads.
"We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi," said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. "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."
It's unclear if these will be labeled 10, 11, and 12 or if they stand alone from the Skywalker saga they won't continue the sequential numbering.
"We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi," Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. "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."
No dates or any other details have been announced yet.
Disney clearly has confidence in Johnson's upcoming Last Jedi to give him full control over the next phase of the main films. And so far, Johnson's filmography is pretty solid, with 2012's Looper one of the best science fiction films of the decade. It will be interesting to see where and when on the greater Star Wars timeline these films take place—anywhere from decades to centuries before or after the Skywalker saga. The Last Jedi is due out on December 15, and that movies success will be the bench mark for the next chapter in the most beloved sci-fi franchise of all time.
