J.J. Abrams on why he returned to direct Star Wars: Episode IX

Before the release of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, Lucasfilm announced that Colin Trevorrow (JURASSIC WORLD) would direct STAR WARS: EPISODE IX, but, when Trevorrow and the studio found themselves clashing during development, the director left the project due to "creative differences" several months ago. Lucasfilm was left scrambling to fill the hole, but we didn't have long to ponder who Trevorrow's replacement would be, as Lucafilm soon confirmed that THE FORCE AWAKENS director J.J. Abrams would be returning to complete the trilogy he began.

J.J. Abrams initially had no intention of returning to the STAR WARS franchise, but when the offer came in, he told Rolling Stone that he just couldn't resist.

I had no intention to return, but when the opportunity presented itself to finish a story that we had begun with these new characters, to tell the last chapter of their story, it felt like there was a chance to do it in a way where we could go beyond, and do better than we did in Seven. I learned so much in that movie and I saw that this was a chance to sort of realize something that we hadn't quite achieved – and part of that was it was simply the beginning of these new characters and their story. The opportunity to sort of take what we had learned, to take the feeling of who these characters are and what they are and give them a final chapter that felt in the spirit of what we begun? It was too delicious of an opportunity to pass up.

Recruiting J.J. Abrams again is obviously the safe choice, and I'm sure he'll bring the trilogy to a close in grand fashion, but I can't help but admit to a little disappointment that Lucasfilm didn't go with a more exciting option, such as Denis Villeneuve or Matt Reeves. One person who was overjoyed that J.J. Abrams would be returning was Daisy Ridley, who confessed that she cried when she heard the news. "Everyone was saying it was going to be Rian and everything, so I was genuinely quite surprised," Ridley said, "and was like 'Oh my God!' and I started crying immediately with three people in the office. And they were like, 'What the fuck just happened?' So I emailed J.J. saying, 'Oh my God I am crying.' And he goes, 'Oh my God, me too.' And then we had a conversation a few days later and we stay in touch. But we stayed in touch the whole time anyway."

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI will hit theaters on December 15th, with STAR WARS: EPISODE IX arriving on December 20, 2019.