Rian Johnson trilogy canceled

[The Wormhole]

I did wonder of the decision to bring Kevin Feige into the franchise meant they plan on developing Star Wars movies in "phases" like they do with the MCU. Rian Johnson's trilogy could even be part of that plan, perhaps with each of his movies being part of each phase, or even being the climax each phase builds up to, like the Avengers movies are.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Well, yeah. But doesn't Star Wars already exist in phases, even if they don't call them that - especially once you factor in all the complementary material?

 

[Campe]

Well, yeah. But doesn't Star Wars already exist in phases, even if they don't call them that - especially once you factor in all the complementary material?

Age of Republic
Age of Rebellion
Age of Resistance

 

[CorporalClegg]

Timeline? This is no time to argue about time!

 

[Gaith]

Well, yeah. But doesn't Star Wars already exist in phases, even if they don't call them that - especially once you factor in all the complementary material?

Not really... Not every MCU movie takes place after the previous one, but there's a general forward momentum (even The First Avenger's ending takes place after Iron Man 2). Disney-era Star Wars, however, is all over the map: 30 years after RotJ, immediately before ANH, 30 years after RotJ again, some time before ANH, five years after RotJ (The Mandalorian), 31 years after RotJ... with two upcoming live-action series set some time before ANH. Only the ST movies build on each other into the narrative future, and who knows when the next movies will be set.

I agree they shouldn't be limited by the structure, I'd hardly call it a "bizarre notion."

Three-part stories are as old as dirt.

True. The problem with equating trilogies to three-act stories, however, sort of implies that the third act should be roughly as long as the first and second acts (because it's a feature-length movie), but should also be almost entirely about resolving plot threads already introduced in the first two entries. This tends to give us part-three stories that aren't as compelling as what came before: infiltrating Jabba's palace for 40 minutes, agonizing over whether Buford Tannen will kill someone on a particular day (rather than just skipping town or paying him off), summoning a ghost army we haven't heard of before... and whatever the hell PotC: At World's End was supposed to be about.

My favorite "part three" movies, therefore, aren't overly concerned with being the third-act of a three-act story: Terminator 3, Iron Man 3, Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok, The Hangover Part III... Is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom the 'real' Jurassic Park 3, if both The Lost World and JP3 barely matter? Etc.
(Iron Man 3 isn't even the third Iron Man film if one counts The Avengers!)

 

[CorporalCaptain]

LA Times:

Kennedy said she plans to make key decisions about the direction of the franchise in the coming weeks. But some things she already knows. While the “Skywalker” saga is ending, the company won’t abandon the characters created in the most recent trilogy. Additionally, she said, the plan is to move beyond trilogies, which can be restricting.

“I think it gives us a more open-ended view of storytelling and doesn’t lock us into this three-act structure,” she said. “We’re not going to have some finite number and fit it into a box. We’re really going to let the story dictate that.”​

"Obviously, I'm not referring to Rian's trilogy here," she did not continue. "Remember that trilogy of films we officially announced two years ago? Our decision to make three of those movies was not a 'finite' number or restricting. Three is only a finite number when I say it is," she didn't go on to explain. "And when I said I'd be making key decisions about the franchise in the coming weeks, those decisions will not be about Rian's trilogy of three films, no more and no less, which is 100% definitely still happening!" she didn't conclude.

From the article you cited:

Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed “The Last Jedi,” is also developing more “Star Wars” films.​

 

[Gaith]

Everything's "in development" until it isn't - whether put into production, or canceled. There's a credible rumor (not proved, but hardly outlandish) out there that Benioff and Weiss were fired months before the public announcement of their dismissal in order to cushion the blow; for all we know, that's the case with Johnson, as well. Or not. Time will tell.

 

[fireproof78]

Time will tell and so we will recklessly speculate about which we have no information...

 

[Gaith]

Speculating about the future is a pastime as old as the human species itself. If you don't wanna deal with it, there's lots of other threads to not be passive-aggressive in.

 

[fireproof78]

It is reckless to speculate about the cancellation of something when we have evidence to the contrary.

 

[Gaith]

If speculation in this thread about the future of a hypothetical trilogy of popcorn movies for children is causing you the consequence of psychological distress, no one's forcing you to keep reading it. This isn't a highway, where one has a reasonable expectation of not having to face reckless driving that could cause you actual harm.

 

[fireproof78]

If speculation in this thread about the future of a hypothetical trilogy of popcorn movies for children is causing you the consequence of psychological distress, no one's forcing you to keep reading it. This isn't a highway, where one has a reasonable expectation of not having to face reckless driving that could cause you actual harm.

More observing the obsessive nature of wishing that something would be cancelled, despite all evidence to the contrary thus far.

Yes, that is reckless, because there is no care to actions of the speculation. It is simply speculating for the sake of wishing ill.

 

[Gaith]

Find and cite, if you can, an instance in which I've wished for the hypothetical RJ trilogy to be canceled. You won't, because I haven't, and I don't. I think TLJ was crap, but am open to seeing what Johnson does in the franchise when he's not freighted with the obligation of making a sequel to a truly lousy flick (TFA). If such a movie is made and is good, I'd be open to more.

I do, however, find the uncertainty and palace intrigue around the future of Star Wars to be interesting, and so I comment and speculate on it. If that causes you distress, again, that's not my problem.

(And the constant denials in this thread, from you and others, that there's any reason to doubt that the announced RJ trilogy will happen is just as obsessive as any posting on the skeptical side.)

 

[fireproof78]

And the constant denials in this thread, from you and others, that there's any reason to doubt that the announced RJ trilogy will happen is just as obsessive as any posting on the skeptical side

When there is evidence to the contrary I prefer to be optimistic not pessimistic.

Comments stating that "For all we know Johnson has been fired and it's just not been announced" are reckless in their speculation because they lack evidence. So, it comes across as wishful thinking that it is cancelled.

So, I call it reckless. And I stand by that.

 

[Campe]

(And the constant denials in this thread, from you and others, that there's any reason to doubt that the announced RJ trilogy will happen is just as obsessive as any posting on the skeptical side.)

Most of us have suggested it's entirely possible the trilogy might not happen. But there is no evidence to suggest its been cancelled, just a whole lot of wishful thinking. And while you've made no definitive statement, several of your posts in this thread have been centered around the idea of the lack of press around it is automatically suggesting its been canceled. No. All that has happened is that Johnson did another film. He probably wanted to get away from Star Wars for a moment. He had the right to do so. And frankly all the obnoxious backlash about a frikkin movie would be enough to make me to want to take a break too.

And you know what? It takes time and energy to make a film. Lucasfilm likely had a date they wanted to proceed. And if Johnson couldn’t meet that date, they had to move to see what else they could do. Perhaps the GoT guys were further along before they left. I imagine as it was a work for hire, Lucasfilm keeps the work they did. Perhaps it will take a different turn.

The point is this is all speculation. We don’t know. Period. End of line. But until we hear otherwise I choose to believe it’s still going. You can choose differently.

 

[fireproof78]

But until we hear otherwise I choose to believe it’s still going.

Same hear. Summarizes my feelings accurately.

 

[JD]

Me too. Obviously it's to far out to say with 100% certainty that it will happen, but I have not seen anything to make me doubt that it is not still being planned.

 

[Gaith]

"For all we know Johnson has been fired and it's just not been announced" are reckless in their speculation because they lack evidence

there is no evidence to suggest its been cancelled

Let's review the facts, shall we?

- Lucasfilm has replaced/fired numerous directors well into production, and cancelled even more projects in pre-production/development that we know of.
- The RJ trilogy was announced before TLJ came out, i.e., before the ticket-buying public had any kind of say in whether they wanted more SW movies from him. The movie then came out, and two years later is regarded as probably the most divisive SW movie to date, certainly from the Disney era.
- Shortly after TLJ came out, Solo underperformed, and Bob Iger announced a SW movie slowdown.
- Meanwhile, Kennedy's contract was extended for a mere three years, during which LFL would only release one more SW film - the one that was already announced. Since then, the only other big release from SW has been The Mandalorian, which is overseen by Jon Favreau, the Marvel/Jungle Book/Lion King director who is one of the few at Disney to have clout on the level of Kennedy.
- In the 2+ years since the announcement of the RJ trilogy, news reports and interviews have consistently stated that the RJ project is still in development.
- However, Kennedy just recently said the future of the movie franchise is likely not in trilogies, and neither she nor Iger have been explicitly saying that the RJ trilogy is absolutely still happening. Kennedy specifically just said in an interview she'd be making big decisions about the SW future in the coming months.
- Reviews for TROS are overwhelmingly concluding that Abrams has attempted a course correction from TLJ.
- Benioff and Weiss were hired to oversee a trilogy... and they were fired this year, with reporting suggesting that negative fan reaction to the GoT finale was a factor.

If you can look at all this and honestly conclude that there is zero evidence to so much as doubt that the RJ trilogy is still a go... well, I think that's bonkers. I'd personally estimate the odds of RJ making another SW film to be about 50-50, and a full trilogy, say, 33/66% against.

/two cents

 

[fireproof78]

If you can look at all this and honestly conclude that there is zero evidence to so much as doubt that the RJ trilogy is still a go... well, I think that's bonkers. I'd

Has someone said that?

 

[Campe]

Has someone said that?

Nope. I said its all speculation. And it is. I said its possible it might not be happening. I suggested there's no reason to suggest its definitively cancelled. That was the extent. But I'll add to my commentary, it might not be a trilogy. It might be a duology. It might be seven movies. It might be as many movies as it takes to tell the story. OR it might not happen at all. And that's okay.