J.J. Abrams is to return to ‘Star Wars’ for the upcoming ninth instalment, it has been confirmed.
The director achieved huge success when he helmed 2015′s ‘The Force Awakens’, and it’s now been announced that he’s set to return for what is thought to be the final instalment in the new trilogy.
On Tuesday (12 September), ‘Star Wars’ shared the news in a statement, revealing he will be both writing and directing the ninth film in the sci-fi saga.
LucasFilms chief Kathleen Kennedy said: “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.”
This comes following the departure of Colin Trevorrow, who it was revealed was stepping down as director over the weekend due to “creative differences”.
Just three months into filming on ‘Episode IX’ a statement from the film company regarding the “mutual” decision explained: “Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ.
“We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon.”
As well as winning plaudits for ‘The Force Awakens’, J.J. Abrams was previously involved in the rebooted ‘Star Trek’ films, as well as serving as an executive producer on the hit TV series ‘Lost’.
The eighth film in the ‘Star Wars’ series, ‘The Last Jedi’, is currently slated for release in December, with Rian Johnson having taken over directing duties.