JJ Abrams will replace Colin Trevorrow as the director of Star Wars: Episode IX. Abrams, who also directed Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), will co-write the film with Chris Terrio.
Trevorrow had left the project earlier this month due to creative differences with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “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,” Kennedy said in an official statement on Tuesday.
The Star Wars franchise was rebooted in 2015 with The Force Awakens, which earned more than $ 2 billion worldwide. It was initially rumored that Rian Johnson, director of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, would replace Trevorrow.
Trevorrow’s departure marks the fourth time that directors have been replaced on a Star Wars project. Although Star Wars: Episode IX was initially meant to hit the theatres in May 2019, it is now scheduled for a December 20, 2019, release.
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