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Return of the Director: J.J. Abrams Will Direct 'Star Wars: Episode IX' After All

Who else was thinking “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” when we discovered that Colin Trevorrow had joined Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Gareth Edwards and Josh Trank on the bench of side-lined Star Wars directors?

By Max FarrowPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
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Star Wars [Credit: Lucasfilm)

Who else was thinking “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” when we discovered that Colin Trevorrow had joined Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Gareth Edwards and Josh Trank on the bench of side-lined Star Wars directors? I don’t blame you if you were. After all, the decision left fans wondering who would now steer the Millennium Falcon — and Episode IX — into pastures new. Could it be Kenneth Branagh or even Patty Jenkins? Fortunately, the shroud of uncertainty has now fallen away: Lucasfilm has announced that they have a new director on board, and he’s a familiar face indeed!

J.J. Abrams Will Direct ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’!

First rumored by Deadline, but then confirmed by Variety shortly afterwards, J.J. Abrams has returned to the fold, and is set to helm the last instalment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, #StarWars9. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy certainly doesn’t hang about does she? Replacing Trevorrow with the man behind 'The Force Awakens' in just under a week, Kennedy had this to say about the appointment:

“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.”

With Rian Johnson bowing out of the competition only a short while ago, Abrams then emerged as the front runner for the film, and it’s clear to see why. His familiarity with Kathleen Kennedy — along with The Force Awakens’ huge box office numbers — are surely what aided her decision, yet it’s going to be interesting to see how the masses of Star Wars aficionados react to this online.

Indeed, whilst #TheForceAwakens is widely seen as a step up from George Lucas’s prequel trilogy, there are some who still take issue with Abrams’s direction. His keen eye for visuals and casting aside, J.J.’s work on Star Wars was criticized for its heavy reliance on nostalgia and its light-weight action sequences.

Nevertheless, it’s going to be very interesting to see where he takes Rey and company next. After all, Rian Johnson is sure to be putting them through the wringer in #TheLastJedi!

(Source: Variety)

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About the Creator

Max Farrow

A fanatical film-watcher, hill-walker, aspiring author, freelance writer and biscuit connoisseur.

These articles first appeared on Movie Pilot between Jan 2016 and Dec 2017. Follow me on Twitter @Farrow91

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