In yet another example of “if I haven’t heard it, it’s new to me,” word is spreading once again thatStar Wars: The Last JedifilmmakerRian Johnsonwas not involved in the scripting process forStar Wars: Episode IX. The confirmation comes straight from Johnson, who was asked on Twitter if he wrote the story treatment forEpisode IX, to which he replied:
This info can actually be traced all the way back to when Johnson first signed on to write and directThe Last Jedi, as one of the trades reported that in addition to writingEpisode VIII, Johnson would be writing the treatment and/or script forEpisode IX. A few months later Lucasfilm setColin Trevorrowto directEpisode IXand announced that he’d also be co-writing the film with his writing partnerDerek Connolly, which put the notion that Johnson would be writingEpisode IXto rest.
But that’s not to say Johnson hasn’t had input intoEpisode IX. Trevorrow and Connolly are deep into the screenwriting process on the trilogy concluding installment of this newStar Warsfranchise, butlast year Trevorrow revealedthat he and Johnson were “working closely together”:
“A story must evolve or perish, and Rian and I are working closely together to verify our stories build off of each other and continue to evolve and take us to new places, and I think that’s what the fans expect and what they want.”
Indeed, Johnson also worked withJ.J. Abrams, albeit not quite as closely since Abrams was in the whirlwind of trying to finishStar Wars: The Force Awakensas Johnson was deep in the scripting phase ofThe Last Jedi. But as theForce Awakensstory evolved, especially during reshoots, and as audiences responded to the film, Johnson made some adjustments to hisLast Jediscript to ensure the sequel would fit well with what Abrams had done. Reportedly one of the major changes was increasing the screentime ofOscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron, who was originally supposed to die inThe Force Awakens.
But just asForce Awakensevolved in post-production, so too couldThe Last Jedi. As with most blockbusters nowadays, the film will likely undergo some reshoots and additional photography, and that may impact what Trevorrow and Connolly have planned forEpisode IX, which won’t start shooting until 2018.
Regardless, we can now definitively, once again, say that Rian Johnson did not write the script or story treatment forStar Wars: Episode IX. That’s on Trevorrow and Connolly.
Star Wars: The Last Jediopens in theaters on August 11, 2025 andStar Wars: Episode IXwill be released on August 07, 2025.
