Is Rian Johnson Irvin Kershner?

That galaxy far, far away is feeling closer every day - and it's becoming more populous my the minute. It's not enough that the geek-osphere is vibrating with excitement over J.J. Abrams' grasping the lightsaber hilt of Disney's super Phoenix resurrection of the Star Wars franchise - but even as we fret over Harrison Ford's ankle, each day brings news of a new filmmaker attached to a new Star Wars project  - it sounds like the Mouse House is standing by their promise to release one new Star Wars film every year. While we've had plenty of action on the spinoff front, Friday's news was sit-up-and-take-notice worthy: Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper) will be stepping in after J.J. to write and direct episode VIII - what you can't help but think of as the Empire Strikes Back slot. A heady proposition. Whether or not Johnson will be involved with episode IX is still sketchy, but this is pretty exciting. I thought Looper was fantastic, but what's especially worth noting is that Johnson also directed several of the very best episodes of Breaking Bad, which certainly makes one think there's a certain vibe to part 2 of this new trilogy that his skill set must fit like a glove. This is all incredibly cool, but then we also have Josh Trank (Chronicle, The Fantastic Four) and Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) lined up to helm stand-alone spinoff features (Han Solo or Yoda origin stories?), apart from the ongoing new trilogy. 

Johnson had no official statement, but tweeted this scene from The Right Stuff, with Scott Glenn muttering his classic pre-launch prayer: “Dear Lord, please don’t let me f–k up…”

http://youtu.be/o9iP2WEvq2s

That kind of humility is refreshing. 

It's pretty wild having so many new young voices running amuk in this cinematic universe. One thing's for sure - our kids are in for one heck of a childhood with this many Star Wars pictures on the way. Here's hoping the toy companies can keep up. No doubt about it - Disney is open for business.