This is the director we’ve been looking for.
Lucasfilm has announced this morning (September 12) that J.J. Abrams has been hired to write and direct Star Wars: Episode IX. The news comes shortly after Lucasfilm revealed last week that original director Colin Trevorrow had been ousted from the final chapter in the Star Wars trilogy series.
Call it A New Hope II.
Abrams was at the helm for the generally well-recieved The Force Awakens in 2015, and will co-write the film with Chris Terrio.
“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,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy in a statement.
Star Wars: Episode IX will be produced by Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Abrams, Bad Robot, and Lucasfilm.
According to reports, issues with the Episode IX script led to the departure of Trevorrow, who was behind one of the year’s biggest failures in The Book Of Henry. “Lucasfilm and Colin Trevorrow have mutually chosen to part ways on Star Wars: Episode IX,” Lucasfilm’s statement read. “Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process, but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ. We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon.”
The eighth installment in the saga, The Last Jedi, is out this December.
Featured Abrams graphic via starwars.com.