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Johnson, 43, will write and direct the first of
a new "Star Wars" trilogy that will bring new characters and
worlds not yet explored on screen, Disney said.
"He’s a creative force, and watching him craft 'The Last Jedi'
from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career.
Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new
trilogy,” Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, said in a
statement.
Disney said no release dates have been set for the new trilogy.
In addition to the new film trilogy, Disney's CEO Bob Iger said
during the company's quarterly earnings call on Thursday that a
"Star Wars" live-action TV series was also being developed for
the company's upcoming streaming service.
Johnson was brought on to write and direct the second film in
Disney's rebooted trilogy of the Skywalker stories, which George
Lucas first brought to screen in 1977.
"The Last Jedi," which follows on from 2015's hit film "The
Force Awakens" and is expected to focus on Luke Skywalker (Mark
Hamill), will be in theaters on Dec. 15.
The final installment in the current trilogy, "Star Wars:
Episode IX," will be written and directed by J.J. Abrams and
scheduled for release in December 2019.
Disney is also making three standalone "Star Wars" films outside
of the Skywalker saga, including last year's "Rogue One" and
next year's "Solo: A Star Wars Story," following the origins of
the charming roguish smuggler Han Solo, made famous by Harrison
Ford in the film franchise.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy and Lisa Richwine; Editing by Lisa
Shumaker)
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