Old reports about the future installments in the ever-expanding Star Wars film franchise – which will soon consist of one film every year – made it seem that Star Wars: The Force Awakens helmer J.J. Abrams would be handing over the keys to the beloved saga after only one film. Now, we’ve learned that that may not be the case.
Looper helmer Rian Johnson was once rumored to be writing and directing both Episode VIII and Episode IX, which hit theaters in 2017 and 2019, but the latest official announcement from Disney only provided confirmation that Johnson would be taking the helm of Episode VIII. Now, Latino Review is reporting that Abrams is the frontrunner to direct Episode IX, “despite his absence from the production team on the next installments, his commitment to other ongoing franchises and early rumors of disagreements between him and the Disney Team.”
Reportedly, those at Disney who have been lucky enough to see footage from The Force Awakens are “very happy” with what Abrams has done. The site has supposedly been able to verify with four different sources that Abrams is indeed the frontrunner to return to that galaxy far, far away in 2019 and close out the new sequel trilogy.
Of course, this is just a rumor for now, and one that we likely won’t get confirmation on for quite some time. 2019 is still a ways off, and with four Star Wars films hitting theaters before Episode IX, anything could happen. So, even if Abrams is indeed the current frontrunner, there’s the chance that he won’t land or take the gig anyway.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters this year on December 18th. It’ll then be followed by Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One on December 16th, 2016, Rian Johnson’s Episode VIII on May 26th, 2017 and Josh Trank’s Untitled Star Wars Standalone Film in 2018.
It’s a good time to be a Star Wars fan, eh?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5&v=ONsp_bmDYXc&feature=player_embedded
Originally published March 18, 2015. Updated November 29, 2022.
