Rian Johnson is to create a new 'Star Wars' trilogy.
Rian Johnson
The 43-year-old director had the "time of [his] life working on upcoming movie 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' so is overjoyed Lucasfilm have signed him up to a new three-film set, the first of which he will write and direct, with longtime collaborator Ram Bergman on board to produce.
Rian and Ram said in a statement: "We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on 'The Last Jedi'. 'Star Wars' is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it.
"We can't wait to continue with this new series of films."
And Lucasfilm bosses are looking forward to seeing what "amazing things" the filmmaker comes up with in his trilogy, which will take part in a different part of the galaxy "separate from the episodic Skywalker saga" and introduce all new characters.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said: "We all loved working with Rian on 'The Last Jedi'.
"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."
No release dates have yet been set for the movies.
It has also been announced that a live-action 'Star Wars' TV series is going into production.
The show will air on Disney's own upcoming streaming service by the end of 2019.
The programme will be the first series within the universe since 'Star Wars: Rebels' was introduced in 2014. The animated series recently began its fourth season.
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