Here’s Why J.J. Abrams Returned To Direct ‘Star Wars 9’
WhenJurassic WorlddirectorColin TrevorrowleftStar Wars: Episode IX, moviegoers were left wondering who would take his place. We received the answer pretty quickly and it was both surprising and kind of obvious:Star Wars: The Force AwakensdirectorJ.J. Abrams. Now, Abrams is revealing what drew him back to theStar Warsfranchise, even though the filmmaker claims he had no intention of returning.
Read on to learn why J.J. Abrams returned toStar Wars.
In many ways, bringing J.J. Abrams back to close out the newStar Warstrilogy makes sense. While there is a whole universe of filmmakers out there (hey, Lucasfilm and Disney, feel free to hire a female director any time now), bringing a filmmaker who has already proven his worth to the franchise is the safest course of action possible. Despite this, Abrams had no intention of returning to a galaxy far, far away. In a newRolling Stonefeature, Abrams reveals that, much like Michael Corleone inThe Godfather Part III, just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in:
“I had no intention to return. But when the opportunity presented itself to finish a story that we had begun with these new characters, to tell the last chapter of their story, it felt like there was a chance to do it in a way where we could go beyond, and do better than we did in Seven.”
Again: makes sense. Abrams did a very good job withThe Force Awakens, and while it might’ve been more exciting to bring a new voice to theStar Warsfranchise, I’m sure he’ll handleEpisode IXwith aplomb. For his part, Abrams says that another reason to return to the franchise was to improve on theStar Warswork he’s already done:
“I learned so much in that movie and I saw that this was a chance to sort of realize something that we hadn’t quite achieved – and part of that was it was simply the beginning of these new characters and their story. The opportunity to sort of take what we had learned, to take the feeling of who these characters are and what they are and give them a final chapter that felt in the spirit of what we begun? It was too delicious of an opportunity to pass up.”
At the moment, we really have no idea what Abrams will do with his nextStar Warschapter. We’ll have to seeRian Johnson’sStar Wars: The Last Jedifirst to get a feel for where the story is headed. But one thing is certain: even after Abrams' films hit theaters in 2019, there will still be plenty ofStar Warsto come. Lucasfilm PresidentKathleen Kennedyconfirmedthat there are already plans for at least the “next 10 years” ofStar Wars, and Jonson will soon begin work on a whole newStar Warstrilogyset outside the current saga.
Star Wars: The Last JediopensDecember 15, 2017.Star Wars: Episode IXopensDecember 20, 2019.
