Is Rian Johnson going to direct Star Wars: Episode IX?
Insiders are now claiming that Rian Johnson — director of The Last Jedi — is the frontrunner to replace Colin Trevorrow as director of Star Wars: Episode IX…
Deadline is now reporting that director of The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson, is sitting comfortably atop the short list of directors Lucasfilm is looking at to replace Colin Trevorrow as the director of Star Wars: Episode IX.
"Insiders said that nothing is done yet, but that prospect is certainly in the air right now."
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Johnson would be the easy choice for Lucasfilm, as his The Last Jedi will run right into Episode IX. With him at the helm, the storytelling of the final installment in the Sequel Trilogy would be seamless, as there would be only one vision for the film — Rian Johnson’s vision.
At this point in the process, the script for Episode IX had already been written. However, Lucasfilm brought in another writer — British writer Jack Thorne — to completely re-write the script Trevorrow’s writing partner Derek Connolly had already penned. In fact, Thorne replaced Connolly, which could have been the catalyst for Trevorrow’s exit from the project.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy seems to have the utmost confidence in Rian Johnson, and since The Last Jedi is probably all but finished, the Looper director could go right into Episode IX, flush with ideas and the experience of making a Star Wars film that will more than likely dominate the box office, and shatter all the records for 2017.
Next: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson talks Kylo Ren and Snoke
One more note, Deadline is known for getting their insider information right. The site was the first to report that Ron Howard would take over for Lord and Miller on the untitled Han Solo film. So, while this information regarding Johnson is not yet official, you can count on Deadline to get it right.