Rian Johnson Says He Was Not ‘Spooked’ by Toxic ‘Star Wars’ Fans After Kathleen Kennedy Cites ‘Last Jedi’ Backlash as to Why He Never Directed Another Entry

Jan 17, 2026 9:50am PT Rian Johnson Says He Was Not ‘Spooked’ by Toxic ‘Star Wars’ Fans After Kathleen Kennedy Cites ‘Last Jedi’ Backlash as to Why He Never Directed Another Entry By Jack Dunn Plus Icon Jack Dunn Latest Rian Johnson Says He Was Not ‘Spooked’ by Toxic ‘Star Wars’ Fans After Kathleen Kennedy Cites ‘Last Jedi’ Backlash as to Why He Never Directed Another Entry 4 minutes ago Chris Noth Explains Replying to ‘F— Sarah Jessica Parker’ Comment Amid Rumored Feud: ‘Off-the-Cuff, Slightly Sarcastic Response’ 3 days ago ‘Marty Supreme’ Original Vampire Ending Fully Revealed; Director Josh Safdie Says A24 Reacted by Asking: ‘This Is a Mistake, Right?’ 3 days ago See All Rian Johnson took to X on Friday night to shut down a claim from former Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy that he was “spooked by the online negativity” and never returned to the “Star Wars” franchise after helming “The Last Jedi.” In response to a post from IGN aggregating the news, he wrote, “Lol zero spooked, sorry.” After 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” Johnson was set to develop another “Star Wars” trilogy. However, the project never got off the ground, and he instead shifted his focus to starting the “Knives Out” franchise. Popular on Variety Related Stories Jia Zhangke Boards Sundance Title ‘Filipinana’ as Executive Producer, Unknown Pleasures Pictures Acquires Greater China Rights (EXCLUSIVE) 'God of War' Live-Action Series Casts Teresa Palmer In her exit interview with Deadline, Kennedy shared her side of the story on why Johnson never returned.