Rian Johnson has got more flak on social media than any director deserves for the crime of making a divisive blockbuster, but when Star Wars: The Last Jedi reached its one-year anniversary, the filmmaker had only kind words to say about the journey the fans have given him in these past twelves months.
The Looper helmsman took to Twitter once again to reflect on all the people he’s met, the support he’s received, and the controversy he’s helped stir up since the latest episode of the Sequel Trilogy arrived in theaters, saying:
“Want to thank all the amazing passionate thoughtful kind creative talented supportive argumentative opinionated respectful open-hearted inspiring AMAZING Star Wars fans for the past year. Getting to hear from & meet so many of you has been the experience of a lifetime.”
Regardless of which side of the fence you lie on for The Last Jedi, there’s no denying that Johnson’s movie got a lot of people talking and aroused more passion in the fans than the relatively safe The Force Awakens could manage.
In any case, Johnson is currently at work filming his next project, Knives Out, which surprisingly isn’t a movie about the backlash he received for his last effort, but rather a crime drama starring the likes of Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Though Johnson has plans for his own trilogy as well, J.J. Abrams first has to wrap up this current saga with next year’s Star Wars: Episode IX, and while you shouldn’t expect the next installment to rock the boat quite as much as Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the subversive twists and open-ended finale of the previous episode has made it all but impossible for Abrams to offer a straightforward Return of the Jedi rehash.