Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker - 9 Major Things Revealed By Vanity Fair

6. Abrams Different Outlook

J.J. Abrams wasn't supposed to direct Episode IX. The job was originally Colin Trevorrow's, but after he was fired over 'creative differences', Abrams was brought back in, seemingly as a safe pair of hands to steer the franchise home.

While there's no denying his talents as a filmmaker, there was also some cause for concern. The Force Awakens was a good return, but it mirrored the original Star Wars extremely closely, something he can't get away with doing again. Abrams touches on that in the story, saying:

"Working on nine, I found myself approaching it slightly differently. Which is to say that, on seven, I felt beholden to Star Wars in a way that was interesting - I was doing what to the best of my ability I felt Star Wars should be. [This time] it felt slightly more renegade; it felt slightly more like, you know, f**k it, I’m going to do the thing that feels right because it does, not because it adheres to something.”

That's definitely good to hear, because after The Last Jedi incorporated elements of Episode V & VI alongside being its own thing, The Rise of Skywalker definitely needs to be different.