Director Rian Johnson has a controversial following in the Star Wars universe. On one hand, some people are still not quite over Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, and aren’t happy with some of the decisions he made in the sequel series film. And others have either grown to like or have always liked what Johnson did for the film series, regardless of what other people say.
No matter what, it appears that Rian Johnson is here to stay in Star Wars. In February, it was revealed that his trilogy of Star Wars movies is still happening — there’s just no timeline on it yet. But if the director gets his way, he could also be part of another huge Star Wars phenomenon right now: The Mandalorian.
According to author Sariah Wilson during her interview with him, directing an episode of The Mandalorian seems to absolutely be on his bucket list. She revealed this on Twitter, sharing what Johnson said about The Mandalorian, and why he hasn’t been able to add his name to the directors’ list just yet.
finding time to break away and do it. He said he has spoken to Dave Filoni about it. He had gone and visited the set during Season 1. He said it was so cool and I told him I was very jealous. He had seen "Baby Yoda" months before the reveal.
— Sariah Wilson (@sariahwilson) April 17, 2021
He said it was fascinating seeing
That it's almost like virtual reality. That it's fascinating and feels so real when you're standing there. It's really interesting to see how it translates onscreen.
— Sariah Wilson (@sariahwilson) April 17, 2021
According to Wilson, the production of Knives Out 2 has been taking up most of his time. Though, it is surprising to see that he has, in fact, visited the set of The Mandalorian. So it’s quite possible Dave Filoni has let Johnson in on some of the secrets for the popular Disney+ series.
Speaking of Knives Out, the successful movie does show that Johnson can be a talented director with the right material. And in the case of The Mandalorian, it feels like Johnson would end up directing an awesome episode, regardless of how his previous turn with The Last Jedi went. The sequel trilogy, after all, lacked the roadmap to make it a cohesive story — so that’s one thing that didn’t work in Johnson’s favor. Whereas, with The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have done an excellent job of mapping out their universe so far. So with those two on board with Johnson, the episode would no doubt be a killer one.
Still, The Mandalorian season 3 production this year means Johnson may not have the time to sneak in an episode to direct. But with the other series being spun off from The Mandalorian coming soon, there should be ample opportunity for him to direct an episode of a Star Wars TV show.
Would you want Rian Johnson to direct an episode of The Mandalorian, or should they leave that to other directors? Let us know in the comments!