It’s official. J.J. Abrams will write and direct Star Wars Episode IX.

He returns to complete the trilogy he helped to envision and brilliantly initiated with The Force Awakens in 2015.

From Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy:

“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,”

Here is the official press release, via StarWars.com:

http://www.starwars.com/news/j-j-abrams-to-write-and-direct-star-wars-episode-ix

The news comes on the heels of the sudden and surprising announcement that Lucasfilm was parting ways with director Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) after their “visions for the project” differed, as mentioned in an official Lucasfilm startement on September 5.

Abrams brings with him a stable grounding force, a proven pedigree of filmmaking, and a clear passion for the franchise, all of which will be welcome, and needed, as this current trilogy closes out.

Disney very likely isn’t going to stop with IX, so it’s vital to end with a bang. Abrams will most assuredly hit the right emotional beats and take us on a fantastic journey.

The Force Awakens stays safely tucked into the comfort zone of the familiar, never deviating too far outside the box. It plays on our “feel good” nostalgia and reverence of the original trilogy to deliver its emotional impact.

I don’t fault the film in the slightest for this. I loved it for this reason. The prequels were such a departure from the original trilogy, and Disney wanted to remind us of how we felt the first time we saw IV: A New Hope. As much as The Force Awakens introduces fresh ideas and characters, it also re-grounds us in a very necessary way.

It appears the filmmakers are in tune with this, and VIII: The Last Jedi might be poised to be a very different installment from what we have seen in the past. The franchise needs this. Another “death star” plotline and things will start to feel stagnate.

Abrams had the difficult task of reigning us in to feel “Star Wars” again with The Force Awakens. Now, he perhaps has an even greater task by expanding the galaxy beyond the current borders to keep us wanting to come back.

If anyone is up to the challenge, it’s Abrams.

Star Wars Episode IX will be released on December 20, 2019.

by Jeremy Howard – “JERHOW”

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