With the release of The Force Awakens growing ever closer, J.J. Abrams is beginning to open up a little on the galaxy far, far away, at least partially because he won’t be involved in it too much longer. The director has been discussing the future of the franchise with EW, and has confirmed that he will not be helming Star Wars: Episode IX.
“No, I’m not going to direct Episode IX,” he told the outlet, “as much as I am deeply envious of anyone who gets to work with this group of people on the future movies.” And while Abrams has played a big part in mapping out the storyline going forward, Kathleen Kennedy confirms that there is still plenty of scope for future directors to take things in their own direction…
“We know where we’re going, but only in the broadest sense,” says Kennedy. “When Rian [Johnson] came in and started writing his script, he started from scratch, other than knowing what we had done in Episode VIII and projecting out where it was going. He then sat down and put pen to paper, and it’s 100 percent him.”
The piece also goes on to reveal a more fleshed-out plot synopsis, including the interesting tidbit that the film will find Leia in possession of Darth Vader’s lightsaber that had previously been lost by Luke. It has also been confirmed that Adam Driver's villainous Kylo-Ren modelled his mask on Vader's, and is connected to the big man in some way. The significance of that remains to be seen, but it’s nice to say the link to the original trilogy burning bright… Co-starring Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will open in the UK and US on December 18 2015.
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