The director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson, has confirmed that there will be no overt references to President Donald Trump in the upcoming film.

The latest installment in the sci-fi franchise’s sequel trilogy will hit cinemas on December 15, with the new film set to add Benicio del Toro and Laura Dern to its cast – the first photos of the two in their new roles emerged earlier this week.


Johnson has touched upon what fans should expect from The Last Jedi in a new interview with Variety, with the director keen to stress that the film would not contain any allegories that relate to the current political climate in the US.

“To me, the power is greatly diminished if suddenly you have a character stand up in front of the Imperial Senate who has orange hair and is saying, ‘Let’s make the galaxy great again,'” Johnson said. “It just cheapens it all and divides the audience. What actually matters, and what these films can actually speak to, are the fundamental building blocks of what makes people good, what makes people brave, what are the things we should be fighting for.”

Johnson also confirmed that there wouldn’t be a central-to-the-plot romance in The Last Jedi, seemingly ending fan speculation that Finn and Rey may hook up in the new film. “[It offers] no one-to-one equivalent of the Han-to-Leia, burning, unrequited love. In our story, that’s not a centerpiece.”

Earlier this month, a fan-obtained pamphlet for The Last Jedi teased the reveal of “a shocking truth.”