Rian Johnson Pushes Back on Kathleen Kennedy’s Claim He Was “Spooked” by Star Wars Backlash

Rian Johnson has publicly rejected a claim from former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy that online backlash to Star Wars: The Last Jedi scared him away from returning to the franchise.

On Friday night, the filmmaker responded on X to a post from IGN that summarized Kennedy’s recent comments. Johnson wrote bluntly: “Lol zero spooked, sorry.”

Johnson directed The Last Jedi, which was released in 2017 and became one of the most divisive films in the Star Wars series. After its release, Lucasfilm announced that Johnson would develop an entirely new Star Wars trilogy. That project, however, never moved forward.

In an exit interview with Deadline, Kennedy explained her view of why the trilogy did not happen. While she acknowledged that Johnson became deeply involved with his own projects, she also suggested that the intense fan reaction to The Last Jedi played a role.

“I do believe he got spooked by the online negativity,” Kennedy said. She praised Johnson as a filmmaker and called The Last Jedi “one of the best ‘Star Wars’ movies,” but added that the hostile online environment can intimidate directors and actors working in the franchise.

Johnson has consistently offered a different explanation. Speaking to Rolling Stone last summer, he said the proposed trilogy never went beyond early conversations and loose ideas. According to him, there was no serious development before his career took a new direction.

He explained that once Knives Out came together, it quickly took over his schedule and creative focus. The success of that film launched a new murder-mystery franchise, leaving little room for a massive, long-term commitment to Star Wars.

“Nothing really happened with it,” Johnson said at the time. He described casually exchanging ideas with Kathleen Kennedy but emphasized that the project remained conceptual. When Knives Out gained momentum, he moved on and stayed busy making those films.

Johnson also made clear that he has no hard feelings toward Star Wars and remains open to returning someday if the right opportunity comes along. For now, though, he says he is happy concentrating on his own work.

His brief but pointed response on X reinforces that stance, directly contradicting the idea that fan backlash drove him away and framing the situation instead as a matter of timing, priorities, and creative freedom.