How Rian Johnson Responded After Kathleen Kennedy Claimed He Was ‘Spooked’ By Negative Reactions To Star Wars: The Last Jedi

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It’s been a significant week for Star Wars. Kathleen Kennedy recently announced she’s leaving her position as president of Lucasfilm, with Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan taking over. As the company enters a new phase, Kennedy has been discussing her time leading Lucasfilm, including her thoughts on Rian Johnson’s work with the franchise, and Johnson has now publicly responded.

Kathleen Kennedy Makes Claims About Why Rian Johnson Only Made One Star Wars Movie

So, I was reading an interview with Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm – she took the reins back in 2012 when Disney bought the whole Star Wars operation from George Lucas. She was chatting with Deadline about her time running things, the good and the bad. And naturally, the conversation turned to Rian Johnson’s planned trilogy after The Last Jedi. She finally addressed what happened with those projects, and here’s what she had to say…

After landing the Netflix deal and starting the Knives Out films, Rian Johnson became incredibly busy. Similarly, when Shawn and I began discussing Star Wars, Stranger Things took over his time completely. He’s a fantastic director, and I truly believe he made one of the best Star Wars movies. However, I think the negative reaction online really affected him. It’s a common experience – whenever a new filmmaker or actor joins the Star Wars universe, they always ask me what to expect, and they’re understandably nervous.

Kennedy explained that Rian Johnson might not have directed any further Star Wars films because he was discouraged by the strong negative reaction to The Last Jedi from some online fans. While the film was well-received by critics and earned $1.3 million worldwide (according to Deadline), many fans were unhappy with it, and that dissatisfaction continues to be voiced today.

It wasn’t just creative differences, though, that led to Rian Johnson not continuing with the Star Wars saga. As I understand it, he really wanted to dedicate himself to the Knives Out films, starting around 2018, and that played a big role in his decision too.

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How Rian Johnson Responded To Kennedy’s Comments

Rian Johnson eventually saw Kathleen Kennedy’s statements. He then went to X (formerly Twitter) and shared an article about her comments, adding his own reaction.

Lol zero spooked, sorry.

So, we have two different ideas about why Rian Johnson has only directed one Star Wars movie so far. Johnson himself briefly stated he doesn’t believe negative fan reaction was the reason he moved on. The big question is still whether he’d ever direct another film in the series.

In the summer of 2025, Rian Johnson was asked if he’d be interested in returning to the Star Wars franchise. He said he’d discussed potential ideas with Kathleen Kennedy after The Last Jedi, but had been focused on making mystery films since then. However, Johnson added that he’d happily return to Star Wars in the future if the chance came up, though he’s currently enjoying working on his own projects.

Don’t worry, Star Wars fans! More movies and TV shows are coming. First up, The Mandalorian & Grogu will be the franchise’s first theatrical release since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Plus, a new film starring Ryan Gosling, Star Wars: Starfighter, is scheduled for summer 2027. Lucasfilm is clearly very busy, and with new projects underway and a new team leading the way, it remains to be seen if director Rian Johnson will be involved in future installments.

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2026-01-18 00:09