Earlier today, Lucasfilm announced thatJ.J. Abramswould return to directStar Wars: Episode IXand co-write the script with Oscar-winnerChris Terrio(Argo). This news comes after a bit of a whirlwind regarding the film’s directorafterColin Trevorrowleftthe project due to creative differences last week. Althoughinitial reportslooked like Lucasfilm wantedStar Wars: The Last Jediwriter/directorRian Johnsonto close out the sequel trilogy, it appears that Johnson passed on the gig, and so Lucasfilm turned their attention to Abrams.
From a business perspective, Abrams is the ideal choice.Star Wars: The Force Awakensopened to over $1 billion worldwide, it received positive reviews, and basically reassured fans that the newStar Warsmovies would be something they could enjoy rather than something they endured, like the prequels. He’s already worked with Lucasfilm in the past, so there’s a familiarity with his directing style and they must have enjoyed his presence enough that they’d go through it again despite the rocky production onThe Force Awakensand Abrams being notoriously indecisive. That being said,The Force Awakenswas the heaviest lift of anyStar Warsmovie sinceThe Empire Strikes Backand he made it work.
What Lucasfilm needs right now is familiarity and stability, and that’s what Abrams brings to the table.Star Wars: Episode IXis due to open on June 19, 2025 by hook or by crook. They can’t have another director who they’ll need to fire. They also can’t get Johnson back because he’ll be busy withThe Last Jediuntil the end of the year and then he needs to do press for it. Furthermore, he’d probably want at least a year to fine-tune the script. Bringing Abrams in gets the train moving now with someone who has proven he can reach the station.
Lucasfilm flirted with directors who could bring a change of tones to theStar Warsuniverse, but after running into difficulties withGareth EdwardsonRogue One,Phil Lord&Christopher Milleron the Han Solo movie, and now Trevorrow, they look like they’re going to go with tried-and-true over rising stars who have made a splash (see:Ron HowardonHan SoloandStephen DaldryonObi-Wan). Abrams is going to give the fans, and more importantly, Lucasfilm, what they want.
Which is also the drawback of hiring Abrams. If you want to give Abrams the benefit of the doubt, you can say that with a compressed timetable onThe Force Awakens, he basically made the safe bet, put all his chips into new characters but balanced it out by relying heavily on nostalgia. Since Abrams is a gifted mimic, he gave people that classicStar Warsfeeling mixed with new characters they could enjoy. You still gotHarrison Forddoing Han Solo again and trying to blow up a bigger Death Star, but you also got on board with Rey, Finn, et al. There was also the requisite mystery box stuff (Who is Snoke? Who are Rey’s parents?).
The question becomes what kind of movie does Abrams want to make with only a little under two years to get the film into theaters? Does he continue to rely on nostalgia or does he take the series in a new direction? IfEpisode 9is the conclusion of a story, does that mean he’ll stay away from the mystery box stuff since he should be answering questions rather than setting up new ones?
Abrams excels at setting up mysteries, but he hasn’t really ever had to conclude a major story before. He was off filmingMission: Impossible IIIwhen it was time to bringAliasto a close. He never really seemed to know what to do withStar Trek. Does he have an answer with regards to Rey’s parents or Snoke’s identity? Johnson has teased that those answers are already inThe Last Jedito some extent, so where does that leave Abrams? For example, Johnson has said that we know enough about Snoke that he basically just functions like the Emperor did in the Original Trilogy. And even beyond answering the questions he posed inThe Force Awakens, he simply has to conclude the story unless the sequel trilogy isn’t a trilogy as much as it’s a way to spawn future installments.
My largest concern with regards to Abrams is that while he’s a talented director, his skill as a storyteller is debatable. I have no doubt that hisEpisode IXwill be fun, fast-paced, and character driven, but will it thematically and narratively hold together? For example,Super 8looks like a perfect Spielberg riff, but when it comes to the themes, it falls apart and he spends too much time trying to obscure the creature. He thinks the monster in that movie is like E.T. except E.T. didn’t kill any of the townspeople, so trying to tearfully send the murder monster away just because it’s a metaphor for grief doesn’t really work.
I also wonder what kind of collaboration Johnson and Abrams will have. When Johnson came on toThe Last Jedi, he potentially moved the story in a direction that Abrams didn’t intend. Now thatThe Last Jediis on the way, will Abrams build on what Johnson did, or will he attempt to steerEpisode IXback to what he envisioned when he was working onThe Force Awakens? WillThe Last Jediend up feeling like the odd movie out?
Of course, the artistic elements ofEpisode IXare pure speculation at this point. We have no idea what Abrams wants to do, and the best we can infer comes from how he’s approached movies in the past. He’s a director with strengths and weaknesses like any other, and as aStar Warsfan, I of course hope that he’s able to make a great movie. While there are certainly other options out there that may have been more exciting, from a business perspective, Abrams is the clear choice.
