At a Glance
- Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy says Rian Johnson was “spooked” by online backlash to The Last Jedi
- Johnson’s planned Star Wars trilogy stalled after he signed a Netflix deal for Knives Out
- Kennedy admits harassment “scares” filmmakers and actors away from the franchise
- Why it matters: It’s the first time a top executive has publicly blamed toxicity for derailing a major Star Wars project
Kathleen Kennedy, outgoing Lucasfilm president, has ended years of polite vagueness about Rian Johnson’s vanished Star Wars trilogy. In a blunt exit interview, she said the filmmaker “got spooked by the online negativity” that erupted after The Last Jedi premiered in 2017.
The Trilogy That Never Advanced
Lucasfilm announced Johnson’s new trilogy in November 2017, weeks before The Last Jedi opened. The pact was frozen in place while Johnson wrote and directed Knives Out and its sequels under his Netflix deal. Kennedy told News Of Fort Worth that those films “occupied a huge amount of his time,” mirroring the schedule crunch that later sidelined director Shawn Levy when Stranger Things commandeered his calendar.
Kennedy Points to Toxic Fandom
Kennedy dropped the diplomatic script when explaining the indefinite delay:
> “I do believe he got spooked by the online negativity. I think Rian made one of the best Star Wars movies. He’s a brilliant filmmaker and he got spooked.”
She added that almost every prospective actor or director now asks, “What’s going to happen?” before signing on, fearing coordinated harassment.
A Pattern of Targeted Attacks
The president emphasized that women entering the franchise “unfairly get targeted,” citing campaigns against:
- Kelly Marie Tran
- Moses Ingram
- The cast of The Acolyte
Kennedy called the harassers “a very small group of people, with loud megaphones,” insisting they do not reflect the broader fan base. Still, she tells wary talent, “then don’t do it, because I can’t tell you this won’t happen.”
What Comes Next
The comments mark the clearest admission yet that vitriol, not creative differences or scheduling alone, helped derail Johnson’s trilogy. Kennedy left the door cracked open, saying courage could still prevail, but acknowledged no active development.
Key Takeaways
- Kennedy’s candor confirms industry whispers that toxicity has real project-killing power inside Star Wars
- Johnson’s trilogy remains officially neither canceled nor in production
- Lucasfilm’s next film slate is rebuilding without the once-heralded director at its center
