J.J. Abrams replacing Colin Trevorrow as director of Star Wars: Episode IX

Lucasfilm has found its director to replace Colin Trevorrow on Star Wars: Episode IX…

Director J.J. Abrams, the man who revitalized the Star Wars cinematic franchise with The Force Awakens, has been tapped by Lucasfilm to return to the final chapter of the Sequel Trilogy and direct Star Wars: Episode IX.

In a statement released by StarWars.com this morning, Tuesday, September 12, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had this to say:

"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."

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J.J. Abrams will co-write The Last Jedi with Chris Terrio, and the film will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Abrams’ company Bad Robot, and Lucasfilm.

Personally, I think this is a wonderful choice. Abrams has personal knowledge of Star Wars and the Sequel Trilogy as a whole, and who better to close out the trilogy than the man who began it all in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

This also ensures the quality of storytelling and promises a smooth transition from Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, into Episode IX, as Abrams helped structure the main outline for all three films with Johnson.

The Force Awakens raked in over 2 Billion at the box office, holds a rating of 8.1 out 10 stars on IMDb and has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Let’s all hope that Abrams can once again catch that magic, as he tackles Episode IX, when he will tie all the loose ends together.

Next: Director Colin Trevorrow leaves Star Wars: Episode IX

Star Wars: Episode IX is set to hit theaters in May of 2019