The Last Jedi may have its critics, but director Rian Johnson still wants to make another Star Wars movie.
Currently doing press for the upcoming crime thriller Glass Onion, the director revealed during an interview with Variety that he still wants to return to the galaxy far, far away. “Making Star Wars was the highlight of my life,” he said. “I pray to God I’ll be back there someday.”
However, it remains unclear whether that opportunity will come or not. Before The Last Jedi debuted in theaters, Disney and Lucasfilm announced that Johnson was working on his own Star Wars trilogy that would “introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that the Star Wars story has never explored before.” to pass, however, and earlier this year Lucasfilm confirmed that the project had been put on hold.
“Rian has been incredibly busy with Knives Out and his multi-film deal at Netflix,” confirmed Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, echoed by Johnson himself.
“I’ve stayed close to Kathleen and we get together often and talk about it,” he explained. “It’s just a matter of timing at this point and when it might happen. It would break my heart if I finished if I couldn’t go back to this sandbox at some point.”
Little is known about Johnson’s proposed third film Knives Out, but it appears to still be on the table, as he commented that “The next thing I’m writing is the third of these.”
The Last Jedi became known as a deeply divisive part of pop culture upon its release, which Johnson has commented on many times since.
IGN’s review of The Last Jedi gave it a 9.7, saying, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the quintessential Star Wars movie. It embraces everything in the franchise it spawned, while taking big risks to push the story into new and unexpected places.”
Want to read more about Star Wars? See what Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi adds to the Star Wars universe and learn more about all the upcoming Star Wars projects.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him Twitter.