J.J. Abrams Almost Turned Down ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Directing Duties

Star Wars Episode IX Dominic Monaghan Disney

In a recent interview, J.J. Abrams revealed he almost turned down Star Wars: Episode IX directing duties when Kathleen Kennedy asked.

Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow was originally attached to Star Wars: Episode IX before departing due to creative differences. Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams then stepped in to helm the final film in the Skywalker Saga. However, J.J. Abrams revealed in a recent interview with FastCompany that he almost didn’t do Episode IX:

“I was trepidatious to begin with, getting involved, because I love Star Wars so much and felt like it was… It was almost, on a personal level, a dangerous thing to get too close to something that you care that much about. And yet, with Force Awakens, I feel like we managed to introduce these new characters—for some people, new actors—and continue a story in a way that I thought had heart and humanity and humor and surprise. Though of course I’m aware that there are critics of that movie, it felt to me like we dodged a bullet. Like we got in there, we got to do something. And I left loving Star Wars as much as I did when I got there. Like, somehow, it was on a personal, selfish level something I was really happy to have done. Not just excited about doing but happy to have done. And to ask to have that happen again, I felt a little bit like I was playing with fire. Like, why go back? We managed to make it work. What the hell am I thinking?”

J.J. Abrams also talked about why he recruited Batman v Superman writer Chris Terrio to come on board:

“And what I realized in that moment was, I hadn’t been aware until then that I needed to work with someone who would scream at the prospect of working on Star Wars. Because I had been through the process, and I was looking at brass tacks: This is what it’s going to take, this is the reality of it. And he was looking at it sort of childlike: Oh my God, I can’t believe we get to play in this world, which I needed to be reminded of. I needed that point of view, because that’s not where I was. Of course, I was excited about what we could do, but I was acutely aware of how little time we had to do a fairly enormous job.”

J.J. Abrams also turned down The Force Awakens before ultimately taking it on. Are you excited to see J.J. Abrams return to Star Wars? Comment below!

Directed by J. J. Abrams, Star Wars: Episode IX stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Dominic Monaghan, Matt Smith, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams. Carrie Fisher will appear as General Leia Organa through the use of previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 

Star Wars: Episode IX will be released in theaters on December 20, 2019.

Source: FastCompany

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden Scarnato

Ryden's affection for all things DC, Marvel, and Star Wars has led him to entertainment journalism at Heroic Hollywood as a News Editor.