With Colin Trevorrow’s exit from Star Wars: Episode IX, someone needs to step in and take his place. That person is Rian Johnson. Rian Johnson needs to helm Episode IX and save it from the potential production nightmare that the Han Solo film is going through, and Rogue One did experience to an certain extent. There has been so much praise for Johnson’s work on Episode XIII and it’s not even out yet! His work on Looper was superb and if you judge him on that alone, it’s more than apparent that he is the man for the job.
Episode IX is a pivotal point in Disney’s Star Wars Saga. The last installment needs to be perfect. Colin Trevorrow was never the right choice for the film, so I applaud Lucasfilm for getting rid of him now. With Carrie Fisher’s tragic passing, we need someone who is going to be able to both close her character arc in a respectful way, but also follow through on all of the promises of Episode XIII. No one can do this better than Rian Johnson, especially considering that Episode XIII is his baby. He has also stated that XIII was such a blast he’d love to do another Star Wars film.
I would do another SW movie in a heartbeat. I've had the time of my life.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) July 20, 2017
At this point there’s no reason not to bring Johnson on board unless he doesn’t want to do it. He, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, is Star Wars’ only hope. Everyone from Kathleen Kennedy to Mark Hamill have praised both his vision and his directorial style. Episode IX needs Rian Johnson. It is the most important Star Wars film Disney will release in their string of films in the series and if they cannot close it out right, people won’t only riot, they’ll lose their faith in future Star Wars films. It will kill their billion-dollar investment in one fell swoop. There are a lot of great directors out there, but Rian Johnson isn’t an unknown and he isn’t an uncertainty. He’s definitely not another JJ Abrams. He works well with the studio. He and Kennedy and even Hamill get along.
Disney and Lucasfilm would be stupid to not at least approach him. And I have no doubt that they will. We’ll in for a wild ride to say the least.