J.J. Abrams has the Episode IX script; Filming begins in July

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI came, made buckets of money, started a lot of conversations, and is now a month away from the Blu-ray release. Time moves by so fast, no? Now it’s time to forget about that old flick and start thinking about EPISODE IX, for which director J.J. Abrams now has the script.

Abrams was a guest on LATE NIGHT WITH STEPHEN COLBERT recently, and it was there he revealed he has the completed script for EPISODE IX, which is something he is quite lucky to have this soon before filming begins.

“Having a script in advance is something I haven’t always been lucky enough to have,” he said. “I’m writing this with Chris Terrio, who is a genius, and I’m having a great time.” He also revealed the movie is set to start shooting at the end of July, and the movie is set for December 20, 2019.

The original director of EPISODE IX, Colin Trevorrow, left the project back in September, and he had been working on the script with Derek Connolly. A week after the exit Abrams signed on to direct, and it was announced Terrio (ARGO, BATMAN V. SUPERMAN) would be coming on to co-write with him. As a result, the release date for the movie was bumped back to December from it's original May 24, 2019 release. 

The production on EPISODE IX has had to deal with several unexpected situations over the last year or so. First off there was the sudden passing of Carrie Fisher, whose character, Leia, still has a role to play in the series. Then there was the parting of Lucasfilm and Trevorrow, which meant a new director, script and release date. But Abrams seems to have the ship leveled out now, and production on the final chapter in the Skywalker saga will likely sail smoothly. Did you hear that? That was me knocking on wood.

THE LAST JEDI hits Blu-ray March 27, and STAR WARS EPISODE IX arrives December 20, 2019.