Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson would be totally cool with JJ Abrams retconning Rey's parents

Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has opened up about what he wants to see from the upcoming Episode IX.

JJ Abrams kicked off the new trilogy by directing The Force Awakens in 2015 before Johnson came on board for 2017's The Last Jedi, where the question of what happened to Rey's (Daisy Ridley) parents was finally answered.

If you need a reminder, as Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) helpfully told Rey, her parents were nobodies, "filthy junk traders who sold [her] off for drinking money".

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Related: Star Wars' Oscar Isaac says fans will be "blown away" by Episode 9

Of course, some Star Wars fans weren't entirely satisfied by that reveal, and have been sharing theories of how the twist could be retconned in Episode IX ever since.

So, with Abrams back behind the camera for the curtain-closer, could the franchise be getting ready to retcon Rey's parents' story? And would it bother Johnson if Abrams did do that?

Well, apparently, not at all, as Johnson insisted that Abrams can do "whatever he wants to do" with the characters and the story, and Johnson will still be there with his popcorn on opening day.

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Related: Rian Johnson's Star Wars trilogy – everything you need to know

"I want to let go of all my expectations," he said. "I want to sit back, I want to be entertained, I want to be surprised, I want to be thrilled.

"I want him to do stuff that I wasn't expecting him to do, and just go along for the ride. For me, that's why... that's why I go to the movies, you know?"

Even so, Johnson actually had some pretty solid reasons for Rey's parents reveal being what it was, saying back in 2018 that he "went through all the possibilities" before settling on the one that felt right.

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"I like the idea that we're breaking out from the notion that the Force is just this genetic thing, that you have to be tied to someone to [have it]," he said, before adding that "the bigger reason" was for the "just for the drama".

For what it's worth, we don't think it should be retconned at all, but we'll find out for sure when the film is released later this year.

Star Wars: Episode IX is released on Thursday, December 19 in the UK and Friday, December 20 in the US.

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Dan Seddon

Reporter, Digital Spy 

Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment. 

In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.