The hiring of Rian Johnson for Episode IX arguably seemed like a logical step when Colin Trevorrow dropped out of the project earlier this summer.
However, Johnson’s comments to CinemaBlend seem to put those ideas to bed, as he has confirmed that he never entertained the possibility of rounding out this trilogy, and he always planned on handing it off to someone else.
The only thing that has changed is the fact that The Force Awakens helmer J.J. Abrams is now the one to cap off the story.
During that hectic period, numerous rumors swirled about the status of the project and the various directors who could enter the equation to take over, including one story suggesting that Rian Johnson specifically turned the job down.