‘The Last Jedi’s Director Responds to Claim That Star Wars Fan Backlash “Spooked” Him

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Rian Johnson is setting the record straight. Following Kathleen Kennedy’s recent Lucasfilm exit interview, the Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi director has publicly pushed back against the suggestion that online backlash scared him away from returning to the franchise. Shortly after the interview made waves, Johnson responded bluntly on X, writing, “Lol zero spooked, sorry.”

The comment comes after Kennedy, who is handing leadership of Lucasfilm to Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan in early 2026, reflected on why Johnson never returned to Star Wars despite The Last Jedi earning $1.3 billion globally.

“Once he made the Netflix deal and went off to start doing the Knives Out films, that has occupied a huge amount of his time,” Kennedy explained. “That’s the other thing that happens here. After Shawn [Levy] and I started talking about Star Wars, Stranger Things kicks in and he was completely consumed for a while."

Kennedy elaborated, stating that, in her opinion, the same thing had happened to Johnson in the wake of the response to The Last Jedi.

"That’s what happened with Rian. And then I do believe he got spooked by the online negativity. I think Rian made one of the best Star Wars movies. He’s a brilliant filmmaker and he got spooked. This is the rough part. When people come into this space, I have every filmmaker and actors say to me, ‘What’s going to happen?’ They’re a little scared.”

How Good Is 'The Last Jedi'?

Now, while there was a lot of fan backlash, The Last Jedi was acclaimed by critics who hailed Johnson's bold approach to the storytelling, subverting expectations and attempting to make something special out of Rey's lineage by having her be a nobody who just happened to possess remarkable abilities, the way the Force would choose anyone.

Collider's review of the movie stated that Star Wars: The Last Jedi was the bold swing the sequel trilogy needed after The Force Awakens re-established the franchise’s foundation. Johnson honored the Original Trilogy’s DNA while actively challenging its archetypes, pushing Star Wars into morally greyer, more emotionally complex territory. Split across three storylines, the film excelled on Ahch-To and within the Resistance fleet, delivering striking visuals, confident performances, and some of the saga’s most daring thematic ideas.

I won’t be surprised if fans start openly wondering if The Last Jedi is better than A New Hope or Empire, although I think it’s clear that the film surpasses The Force Awakens even if the sequel’s success is partly due to the unglamorous groundwork The Force Awakens had to accomplish. There are so many moments and details I want to dig into with The Last Jedi, but I don’t want to spoil the many reveals, twists, and turns that make the movie such a wonderful experience. I lost count of the jaw-dropping moments The Last Jedipresents, and it’s a movie I can’t wait to revisit.

The Last Jedi is streaming now on Disney+.