Home Entertainment Breaking: JJ Abrams to write and direct Star Wars: Episode IX

Breaking: JJ Abrams to write and direct Star Wars: Episode IX

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It’s official! Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ JJ Abrams will be returning to a galaxy far, far away to co-write and direct Star Wars: Episode IX. Joining Abrams on scripting duties will be Oscar-winning Argo screenwriter Chris Terrio. Lucasfilm made the official announcement on StarWars.com a few minutes ago, with the following statement.

J.J. Abrams, who launched a new era of Star Wars with The Force Awakens in 2015, is returning to complete the sequel trilogy as writer and director of Star Wars: Episode IX. Abrams will co-write the film with Chris Terrio. Star Wars: Episode IX will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Abrams, Bad Robot, and Lucasfilm.

“With The Force Awakens, J.J. delivered everything we could have possibly hoped for, and I am so excited that he is coming back to close out this trilogy,” said Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy.

As was widely reported a week ago, original Episode IX writer/director Colin Trevorrow exited the much anticipated final instalment in the new Star Wars trilogy, due to differing visions. Despite the official statement from Lucasfilm saying that it was a mutual separation, subsequent reports indicate that Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy fired Trevorrow for being “difficult’ and not towing the Star Wars franchise line. Whatever the reason, it left a vacant director’s chair which Lucasfilm needed to fill rapidly.

The safe bet for replacement was writer/director Rian Johnson, who had just wrapped production on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the second instalment in the trilogy set to release in December. Lucasfilm were reportedly over the moon (THAT’S NO MOON!) with Johnson’s work, and he had already had some scripting input on Episode IX, so having him just stay around longer and continue onto the next film made sense. There had been a rumour that Lucasfilm were talking to Abrams again, but after The Force Awakens he had admitted that he felt he had done what he needed to do with the franchise. On the other hand, Johnson publicly stated that he would be willing to do another Star Wars movie in a heartbeat. Apparently not though.

Despite the unavoidable case of same-ness that The Force Awakens had as it repeated several beats from the Original Trilogy, I really enjoyed the film JJ Abrams gave us. He is a gigantic life-long Star Wars geek himself, so we know that he definitely has the franchise’s best interests at heart and he already has a great relationship with the cast and crew. He’s also been very hands-on with the universe, so there should really not be any delay in meeting Episode IX’s scheduled May 24, 2019 release date.

 

Last Updated: September 12, 2017

19 Comments

  1. RinceThis

    September 12, 2017 at 18:08

    Awesome!

    Reply

  2. Original Heretic

    September 13, 2017 at 08:07

    Hope we don’t get a remake of Return.

    Reply

    • miaau

      September 13, 2017 at 08:12

      Or, you know, Empire Strikes back.

      Reply

      • Original Heretic

        September 13, 2017 at 08:15

        It’s more likely that Ep IX will mirror Ep VI (them being the trilogy finales).

        Reply

        • miaau

          September 13, 2017 at 08:16

          Oh. Um. so we are still getting star wars movie in December then? Not a Rogue One type, but the sequel to the Kylo Ren, Ridley story? Also, for a famous director, she looks very young.

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            September 13, 2017 at 08:19

            Ep VIII is out end of this year, that’s the the one Rian Johnson is directing.

          • miaau

            September 13, 2017 at 08:20

            Oh, so the Empire Strikes back one. I fail to keep track of all this shite, honestly.

            Will try go watch it with my brother, like Rogue One. That was fun. And eye popppingly expensive after drinks and popcorn, not large anything. R100 for the 2 of, last December….. Tickets were R90. I think this time I buy the tickets and HE buys the popcorn and drinks

            Even though I have a sugar problem, at the theatre I cheat and MUST have a slush puppy.

        • miaau

          September 13, 2017 at 08:17

          BUT, it will sort of follow that story almost no matter how it is penned. Big climatic fight scene used as backdrop for a few human / sentient stories playing out their dramatic conclusions…..

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            September 13, 2017 at 08:22

            I can see there being a few shared elements here or there, no issue with that. And please, don’t get me wrong, I loved Force Awakens. I’ve watched it three times already.
            But every time I do, I pick up more similarities between it and New Hope. I saw someone post something along the lines of “telling the old story in a new way, while Rogue one was telling a new story in the old way.” Thought that was rather well put.

          • miaau

            September 13, 2017 at 08:23

            Yeah, but you cannot have the end of a trilogy any other way, really.

            And because same universe, there will be easy parallels to see.

            Retun of the King and Return of the Jedi had some rather big similarities in how the endings went, as well. But the genres and characters and all that stuff made it seem very different.

          • Original Heretic

            September 13, 2017 at 08:25

            There I will disagree wholeheartedly. There are various way to finish it differently, while still having the same impact.
            I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they leave it a bit more open ended, since Disney has made it very clear that they intend on making LOADS more SW movies.

          • miaau

            September 13, 2017 at 08:29

            “There I will disagree wholeheartedly”, yeah, me too! 🙂

            You will have a big fight / actiony scene. You will have it interspersed with milder scenes that bring the human / sentient edge to the story.

            Is that not the basic of making big epic trilogy books / movies? Final Climatic scenes? Now do that in a shared universe and I think it will, at least from far away, look somewhat similar.

            But yes, open ended may well be a good plan for more FUTURE set movies. I dislike all the “origin stories” and the full story of a how a small bit part group in the bigger movie got where they got in the bigger movie. Future stuff, move the universe forward WHILE fleshing it out people.

            OR like Knights of the Old Republic, go back 3000 years.

          • miaau

            September 13, 2017 at 08:30

            Sigh, I sucked all the romance and feels out of the big climatic endings, right there.

            Stuff it. Got work to do

          • Original Heretic

            September 13, 2017 at 08:33

            I’m not saying there won’t be a big climax/fight scene at the end. Gawd, if we don’t get that, every SW fan in the world will gather together to lynch JJ Abrams. And Disney will get some suffering, too.
            But we don’t have to get a “redemption scene” like Vader had. We don’t need Rey to stand before Snoke, the way Luke did before the Emperor.
            They need to make it more different.
            If they suddenly have another “Death Star”, shit man, that’s gonna be identical.
            Oh look, another trench that they’re flying through.
            Blow up the big base. etc etc.

          • miaau

            September 13, 2017 at 08:36

            Need, need? Yes, you are right in that. I hope it is not “a “redemption scene” like Vader had” and or “Rey to stand before Snoke, the way Luke did before the Emperor.”

            BUT there has to be a big challenge, a THING to beat. Maybe it can just be invasion of home-world of bid baddies?

          • Original Heretic

            September 13, 2017 at 08:40

            I actually don’t want to think about it too much. I’ve ruined too many movie/series endings for myself like that.
            I sit and think about the various possible ways that something could conclude, coming up with at least half a dozen variations.
            And then one of those ends up being the way it happens.

            So these days, if it’s something I REALLY enjoy (which, right now, is Marvel and SW movies), I don’t think about it, I want to watch and be wow-ed.

  3. miaau

    September 13, 2017 at 08:15

    I massively enjoyed the first Star Wars movie he made: the pacing, the action and all that. I did not always appreciate the samey throwback stuff, but I did understand it and a good story was told nonetheless.

    I hope that Mr Abrams moves on from that idea and expands the universe and the characters in their own unique ways.

    OR, and I just thought of this now, Abrams wants to remake Groundhog day and the people that own the rights to that movie have said no. He is now trying, in different genres (but mostly Sci-fi) ,to convince them that can he craft an awesome Groundhog day remake, with new elements merged seamlessly with old.

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      September 13, 2017 at 08:18

      A new Groundhog Day would be awesome.

      Reply

      • miaau

        September 13, 2017 at 08:22

        See, support for Abrams from the fans too!

        Reply

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