8 Major New Details Revealed About Star Wars: The Force Awakens
6. J.J. Abrams' Role In Star Wars Episode IX
It's already been confirmed that Rian Johnson will direct Star Wars Episode VIII, but there are conflicting reports about who will then tackle the final instalment of this new trilogy. The rumour mill has been going into overdrive as a result, with some of the trades claiming Johnson will also helm Episode IX, but others stating that he'll just be writing the screenplay. Then there are the reports from less reliable sources about Jurassic World helmer Colin Trevorrow taking over or Abrams actually returning to finish off the story. Thanks to Abrams himself though, we can now cross at least one of the above possibilities off the list. "No, Im not going to direct Episode IX, as much as I am deeply envious of anyone who gets to work with this group of people on the future movies." Instead, the story arcs set up by he and Kasdan in The Force Awakens will be picked up by Johnson for the time being, and that will presumably be the case for Episode IX as well. "We know where were going, but only in the broadest sense, Kennedy promises. When Rian came in and started writing his script, he started from scratch, other than knowing what we had done in Episode VII and projecting out where it was going. He then sat down and put pen to paper, and its 100 percent him. So, Abrams influence will still be felt on both Episode VIII and Episode IX, but only in very broad terms as he won't be directly involved with crafting the how the story evolves in terms of the screenplay. This still leaves us in the dark about who will take the reigns of the final part of the new Star Wars trilogy. Abrams has said a number of times in the past that his main reason for only doing the one is because the long London based shoot uprooted him from his family in Los Angeles. but if Johnson does a good job and is happy to return, it's easy to imagine him sticking around.
