After last week’s announcement that Colin Trevorrow would no longer be directing Star Wars: Episode IX, much of the buzz centered on The Last Jedi‘s Rian Johnson being tapped as his replacement. It won’t be Johnson piloting the ship, but Lucasfilm is still turning to someone they trust for a second go ’round–The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams is officially returning to the galaxy far, far away.
Deadline first reported that Johnson was in fact approached by Disney about signing on for the next film, but that he turned down the offer. That led Lucasfilm to turn to J.J. Abrams, whose work on The Force Awakens reinvigorated the franchise with a $2 billion worldwide box office take. Abrams had no directing jobs lined up, and this is already officially a done deal.
J.J. Abrams to write and direct Star Wars Episode IX. https://t.co/aVF8UWaK0e pic.twitter.com/YrjgZZNxUx
— Star Wars (@starwars) September 12, 2017
Considering that Episode IX is the third Star Wars film to lose its original director, after Josh Trank was axed from a standalone film in 2015 and Chris Miller and Phil Lord were replaced on the Young Han Solo movie by Ron Howard just a few months back, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy seemed to have wanted someone who she knows the studio can work with, and who shares her same vision for Star Wars. Abrams will be co-writing with Chris Terrio, whose recent credits include Argo, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the upcoming Justice League.
With Abrams returning to write and direct the third film in this final trilogy, that greatly increases the chance we’re going to see a partially completed, yet fully operational, Starkiller Base.
Because “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seems to be the new Lucasfilm motto.
What do you make of this news? Are you happy Abrams is coming back, or did you hope to see someone else in charge? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Images: Lucasfilm
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