Rumors are flying that filmmaker Rian Johnson may be leaving Lucasfilm, according to Bounding into Comics and other sources.  Hollywood, even more than Washington, D. C., is a town that thrives on rumors.  We’ve heard rumors here at SCIFI.radio — you may have, too — but we have yet to see any confirmation or denial. A lot of hay is being made of it, though, and conflicting information is coming from a variety of sources.

You-Tuber T-Vo claims, “According to several inside sources, Rian Johnson’s proposed Star Wars trilogy is dead at Lucasfilm.”  Cosmic Book News said “rumors surrounding Johnson’s exit from Star Wars and Lucasfilm have swirled since the release of The Last Jedi.”

Allegedly, Disney, the parent company of Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Marvel, wants to avoid negative publicity with the release of The Mandalorian on their streaming service mere days away.  The Rise of Skywalker is due to be released in theaters December 20, 2019.  Hollywood entertainment reporter Matt McGloin suggested regarding Rian Johnson’s Star Wars vision, it’s said he even wanted to go further with his distinct vision, but that Disney doesn’t want to stray too much away from its core properties and rich history.  According to this reporting, Disney feared Johnson’s distinct vision would continue to anger the hardcore fans.

Some fans have been upset as the Star Wars universe has grown in unexpected ways.  Some fans love Johnson’s contributions to the Star Wars universe, others blame him for ruining their childhood by destroying a cinematic universe they preferred set in stone. 

Rian Johnson, director of Looper {image via Endgame Entertainment}

Star Wars has been a series of movies, novels and novelizations,  radio adaptations, and comic books.  Each of those deepened and widened the SW universe.  Each fan has their own interpretations.  No filmmaker, not even George Lucas himself, can make every fan happy.

Cinemablend saidGame of Thrones showrunners D.B Weiss and David Benioff were on deck to create their own series of Star Wars films. But they ended their relationship with Lucasfilm somewhat abruptly (allegedly due to concerns about facing another fervent fandom).”  Disney is more likely to postpone and rework projects than flat out cancel them.  Right now, the best thing to do is wait and see.  Life is too short to worry about unsubstantiated rumors.


Editor’s Note: Here at SCIFI.radio, we pride ourselves on journalistic integrity and true and accurate reporting, especially in the geek and pop culture community where information from unvetted sources can spread like wildfire, with pop culture news sites all cribbing each other’s rumor pieces and presenting them as fact.

This article is meant as much as a commentary on the rumor-driven pop culture press as it is a statement of what’s going on with Rian Johnson and Star Wars. Be careful where you get your information, folks. There are a lot of services out there that don’t make the distinction between fact and rumor, or even pure fiction presented as news.

— Gene Turnbow, Founder, Station Manager, Editor in Chief – SCIFI.radio

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Susan Macdonald
Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress ”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.