Star Wars: Is NEW trilogy from Rian Johnson or Benioff & Weiss? Here’s what LucasFilm say

It had previously been revealed that new stories were being developed by The Last Jedi helmer Rian Johnson, and by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss.

Now, with Disney’s announcement yesterday that the franchise is returning in 2022, 2024 and 2026 for three new movies, fans have been asking whether it’s Johnson or Benioff and Weiss who are in play.

That is, of course, assuming the three films are even linked: they could be from separate stories, rather than one whole trilogy, and more films could also be added to the slate on top of those.

ABC correspondent Clayton Sandell has said on Twitter that he asked LucasFilm who is behind the new projects.

Their answer? Silence, for the time being.

Sandell wrote: “We asked, but Lucasfilm is not yet saying if the new #StarWars films planned for 2022, 2024 and 2026 are part of the previously-announced Rian Johnson trilogy or the series from Game of Thrones producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. #AlwaysInMotionIsTheFuture.”

Despite some fan pushback over the narrative choices in The Last Jedi, fan excitement on social media seems evenly divided between those hoping Johnson is up first, and those keeping everything crossed for Benioff and Weiss.

Whatever the case, Johnson previously indicated that he would be getting back to work with Lucasfilm once his next project is out of the way.

Collider’s Steven Weintraub posted from the film-maker’s Knives Out panel at CinemaCon last month: “Something else for #StarWars fans, @rianjohnson said on the #CinemaCon stage he was going back to a galaxy far far away after ‘Knives Out’.”

Whether this means sketchy early development or actual production ahead of a 2022 release is unclear.

One thing is for sure: whoever is helming these next stories, they won’t be focussing on the Skywalkers or the current crop of characters.

Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker will conclude that particular saga once and for all when it releases in December.

However Kathleen Kennedy clarified at the time of its title announcement that it did not, by any means, spell the end for Star Wars as a whole.

“We are looking at the next saga,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

“We are not just looking at another trilogy, we’re really looking at the next 10 years or more.

“This [movie] is the culmination of the Skywalker Saga – it’s by no means the culmination of Star Wars.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out on December 19.