SALT LAKE CITY — Yes, Rian Johnson is still directing an upcoming "Star Wars" trilogy.
Johnson confirmed as much in a social media post on Thursday. A rumor from the website SuperBroMovies circulated online that Johnson had stepped away from his upcoming trilogy of "Star Wars" films.
- But Johnson denied the rumors while also tweeting a well-placed dig at SuperBroMovies.
- "No it isn't true, I'm still working on the trilogy. With all due respect to the movie bros, who I'm sure are lovely kind bros with good fraternal intentions," he wrote.
- SuperBroMovies' report suggested Johnson left the "Star Wars" franchise due to heavy fan backlash after he directed "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," according to ComicBook.com.
Flashback: Producer Ram Bergman said in an interview with From the Grapevine that the franchise will be "a completely new trilogy that writer-director Rian Johnson, my partner, is going to create. It's all new characters. Everything is new."
Flashback: Johnson last confirmed he was working on the trilogy back in September.
- The first film in the trilogy could drop in theaters as early as 2020, according to Bergmann's interview.
Context: Johnson stepping away because of fan backlash wouldn't be surprising news. As CBR.com reported, "The Last Jedi" went through heavy scrutiny when it debuted in December 2017.
- The film, which earned more than $1.3 billion in the U.S. and global box offices, has a 45 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from audiences (critics gave it a 91 percent), which is the lowest of all "Star Wars" films except for the animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" from 2008.
- Those against "Last Jedi" filed a petition to remove the film from the "Star Wars" canon.