Although Star Wars 8 is set to be directed by somebody else, it looks as though J.J. Abrams could return to round out the trilogy in Star Wars: Episode IX.
According to the Latino Review, the Star Wars VII director is being pursued by Disney and Lucasfilm to helm the end of the sequel trilogy – Star Wars: Episode IX.
“Despite his absence from the production team on the next instalments, his commitment to other on-going franchises and early rumors of disagreements between him and the Disney Team, there’s a good chance that J.J. Abrams will be back to direct Star Wars: Episode IX.”
Of course, at this stage it’s just a rumour… and they’re keen to point out that we should expect denials from J.J. Abrams and those around him. But could Abrams really continue to be involved with the Star Wars franchise?
There’s been plenty of speculation that Abrams has perhaps distanced himself from Star Wars in the wake of The Force Awakens. And after his name was notably absent from any Star Wars announcements at the recent Disney shareholders meeting, many of us thought that perhaps he’d chosen to part ways with the Force.
But behind-the-scenes, it looks as though it may be a very different story.
“There are enough conversations about J.J. Abrams returning to direct Episode IX that we’ve been able to independently verify it four times that his name is the front-runner for the last trilogy instalment,” they explained. “And the movie isn’t due until 2019.”
Obviously, with Rian Johnson taking the director’s chair for ‘Star Wars 8’, this means that Abrams is due to sit that one out. But as one of the major members of the Lucasfilm story group, it seems surprising that Abrams wasn’t touted in connection with either Star Wars 8 or Star Wars: Rogue One.
Still, if Abrams does return to finish off the new trilogy, I can’t help thinking that’s a rather awesome move from all involved. For one thing, it allows Abrams to sit back and watch the seeds of his story grow before finishing it off in the final act.
And as a fan himself, I’m sure that’s an exciting prospect.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens heads to cinemas on 18 December 2015.
Do you think J.J. Abrams will return in Star Wars IX? Could anyone else finish off the trilogy he began? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
