What can director Rian Johnson tell us about Star Wars: Episode VIII? Not much, it turns out. He is just now starting to work on the sequel, while director J.J. Abrams is hard at work in London at this very second, shooting scenes for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII, which will arrive in theaters first. Rian did, however, share his inspiration for the movie and where he plans to go with it.

With these films, I am trying to harken back to the original Star Wars... Christmas special. We do have Jefferson Starship!"

He's joking about the Star Wars: Holiday Special part, of course. He does tell fans where to start with the series if they haven't already seen it, and offers a sense of where he's coming at this material as a filmmaker.

"I would do (Episodes) 4-6 then 1-3. Storytelling-wise, 4-6 were constructed without the knowledge of the past. There was something really beautiful about the prequels."

What about the actual movie itself? Can he say anything at all about it?

"I'm really excited about all the things I can't tell you. The thought of it made me so completely joyfully happy. I wanted to play in this world, of literally the first movie my dad put me in the car to see."

When asked how he landed the job, he jokes,

I can only assume it was a clerical error, like in the movie Brazil. There's a 'Brian Johnson' out there who is really mad!"

Rian Johnson is writing and director both Star Wars: Episode VIII and Star Wars: Episode IX. Though, that has yet to be officially confirmed by LucasFilm and Disney.