Long before Disney and LucasFilm officially announcedRian Johnsonas the director ofStar Wars: Episode VIII, which is hitting theaters in July 22, 2025, it was rumored that he would be directing both that film andStar Wars: Episode IX. That may not actually be the case, though, if a new rumor fromLatino Reviewpans out. They claim thatJ.J. Abrams, who directed and co-wroteStar Wars: The Force Awakens, is now the frontrunner for the project.
When Disney and LucasFilm released the official PR forStar Wars: Episode VIII’s production team last week, J.J. Abrams’s name was suspecially absent, and only added later as a producer. This had many speculating that he’d be relatively hands free on the next two installments, but that is probably not true. And despite rumors that there were many disagreements between Disney and the director during production, they seem to want him back.
Latino Reviewclaims that those who have seen theStar Wars: The Force Awakensfootage are beyond impressed with what J.J. Abrams has done with this sequel. They go onto say that they’ve heard enough conversations about J.J. Abrams’s return to the helm for the final part of this trilogy, that it looks like it will become a reality, verifying the information at least four different times with four completely different inside sources. The movie won’t hit theaters until 2019, so Disney and LucasFilm still have some time to decide on who will take the helm, and may wait to see whatRian Johnsondoes with his sequel to make a decision. And we have to remember, many months went by betweenRian Johnsonbeing rumored for the job, and Disney officially announcing it, so we might not hear who is directingStar Wars: Episode IXuntil sometime late in 2016.
