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There was a time when Rian Johnson was expected to be the future of Star Wars.<\/em> The Looper<\/em> director had just finished his bold Star Wars<\/em> sequel, The Last Jedi,<\/em> and Lucasfilm\u2019s then-president Kathleen Kennedy signed him up to make a whole new trilogy. Of course, for a myriad of reasons, that didn\u2019t happen, but in a new interview, Johnson shared who he now thinks should take over in a galaxy far, far away.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a Star Wars<\/em> fan, the most exciting thing for me is always seeing when they bring in fresh voices and fresh filmmakers to come in and tell new stories in that world,\u201d Johnson told Variety. \u201cThat\u2019s what I am looking forward to seeing more happen.\u201d<\/p>\n The answer came when Johnson was asked about Kennedy\u2019s departure from Lucasfilm, which opened the door for Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan to take over the company. \u201cI love Kathy. I am excited now to see what she does next,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As for what Star War<\/em>s will do next, almost everything currently in the pipeline is not what Johnson said he\u2019s looking forward to. The next two movies are both directed by well-established filmmakers, Jon Favreau and Shawn Levy. Whatever comes after that is also likely to be written by a well-established filmmaker such as Simon Kinberg or Taika Waititi. A Rey movie directed by Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy would qualify as a \u201cfresh voice,\u201d but, as of now, it\u2019s unclear if that\u2019s still happening.<\/p>\n Which isn\u2019t to say Johnson\u2019s wishes won\u2019t soon come true. With two movies coming in the next two years, Filoni and Brennan don\u2019t have to rush to announce more about the future of Star Wars.<\/em> And it\u2019s quite possible that by the time that happens, some more of those \u201cfresh filmmakers\u201d Johnson is hoping for will emerge.<\/p>\n And, of course, as he\u2019s said many, many times in the past, he\u2019s still open to coming back. \u201cI had the time of my life [making The Last Jedi<\/em>],\u201d he said. \u201cI am now an even bigger Star Wars<\/em> fan than I was when going into it. I would feel blessed if that were to ever happen [again].\u201d<\/p>\n Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n