UPDATE: Disney and Lucasfilm has since released a confirmation that J.J. Abrams would be returning to direct Star Wars: Episode 9.

“J.J. Abrams, who launched a new era of Star Wars with The Force Awakens in 2015, is returning to complete the sequel trilogy as writer and director of Star Wars: Episode IX. Abrams will co-write the film with Chris Terrio. Star Wars: Episode IX will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Abrams, Bad Robot, and Lucasfilm.

‘With The Force Awakens, J.J. delivered everything we could have possibly hoped for, and I am so excited that he is coming back to close out this trilogy,’ said Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

Last week, Lucasfilm revealed that Colin Trevorrow, the man behind such films as Jurassic World, The Book of Henry, and Safety Not Guaranteed, would NOT be directing Star Wars: Episode 9. This is after two years of us knowing he would be taking the helm for the iconic space fantasy.

The reason was reportedly Trevorrow’s attitude. In short, he had a big ego and was very difficult to work with. While this isn’t exactly a trait that’s restricted to him, over at Lucasfilm, if you rub president Kathleen Kennedy the wrong way, you’re fighting an uphill battle, and apparently, Kennedy wasn’t too thrilled to be working with him in Episode 9. It’s unclear if there was an event that prompted the firing of Trevorrow, but regardless, he was out.

RELATED: Star Wars: Episode 9 – The Reason Behind Trevorrow’s Firing

When rumors started to spread about who would take his place, the discussion immediately went to the likes of Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams, the only other two directors who worked well with Lucasfilm with little to no interference. Earlier this week, Johnson seemed to decline any plans to return to direct Episode 9, and a new report from Deadline suggests that Johnson was indeed offered the gig, but turned it down.

According to the outlet, Disney is now courting the other familiar director, J.J. Abrams. They are reportedly set to work out a deal today, so as to get him back on board as soon as possible.

While Abrams is known for his extensive TV and film work, he’s also very well known for ushering in the new era of Star Wars. With Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he successfully set the tone for the future of the franchise, and unleashed a new world of excitement onto a new generation of fans. The film went on to gross over $2 billion worldwide — a mammoth success by any standards.

Given all the trouble Lucasfilm has had with directors in the past (Josh Trank, Gareth Edwards, Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Colin Trevorrow), you can’t exactly blame them for wanting to return to a safe, quality choice. But is it the right choice for them to close out this sequel trilogy? Well, first things first, we’ll have to wait and see if this deal even goes through.

What do you think of this potential choice? Is it the right one for the franchise? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Star Wars: Episode 9 is slated to release on December 20, 2019.

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SOURCE: Deadline