‘Star Wars’: J. J. Abrams Teases New Direction For ‘Episode IX’

J. J. Abrams will return to the Star Wars franchise to direct the final chapter of the sequel trilogy, but a number of fans who criticised The Force Awakens for being too similar to the original Star Wars film are concerned that Episode IX will follow a similar predictable path with Abrams at the helm. However, those fears may be unwarranted as Abrams recently discussed how Star Wars: Episode IX will take the franchise in a new direction during an interview with BBC.

Abrams explained that he intends to take the Star Wars franchise to new places with Episode IX:

“Well, it’s certainly something that I’m aware of now working on Episode IX – coming back into this world after having done Episode VII. I feel like we need to approach this with the same excitement that we had when we were kids, loving what these movies were. And at the same time, we have to take them places that they haven’t gone, and that’s sort of our responsibility. It’s a strange thing – Michael’s worked on things like Planet of the Apes and Star Trek and Star Wars, and these are the things of dreams. Yet we can’t just revel in that; we have to go elsewhere.”

It certainly sounds as though Abrams has no intention of repeating previous Star Wars films with the new cast of characters, though as someone who had no problem with the familiarity of The Force Awakens, it is reassuring to hear that the filmmaker will be approaching the project with the same enthusiasm that revived the franchise with Episode VII.

In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Laura Dern, Kelly Marie Tran and Benicio del Toro.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released in theaters on December 15, 2017.

Source: BBC Radio 4