LOS ANGELES — J.J. Abrams has collaborated with authors on a new novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that expands the story of the movie, re-examines some previous Star Wars canon, and officially changes Rian Johnson’s name to Ryan Johnson.
“I think The Last Jedi is a wonderful standalone film, but we needed to iron out some minor details to make sure they fit into the larger story we were trying to tell,” Abrams said. “The Knights of Ren and Palpatine, for example, are now a much bigger part of the story now. And of course, we had to change the weird spelling of Ryan’s name to something that worked better for the trilogy.”
“I mean… I didn’t even know how to pronounce it,” Abrams added. “Rye-ann? Ree-ann? I was too awkward to ask. Anyway, the canon spelling of his name is Ryan Johnson now.”
When reached for comment, Johnson said he was content with his new name.
“Honestly, I’m glad I got to be a part of the whole thing. I’m working on my next movie, More Knives Out, and I’m trying to put the whole Star Wars thing behind me,” Ryan Johnson explained. “I guess I’m just happy it was J.J. who changed my name, and not George Lucas, because then it would be Directorous Johnson or something else that’s really on the nose.”
At press time, Abrams said he was considering a second book that reveals Johnson’s name had secretly been Brian Johnson all along.
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