J.J. Abrams To Direct ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ [Rumor]

Rumor that J.J. Abrams will return to direct Star Wars: Episode IX has the internet exploding with excitement this Wednesday.

Without knowing what Abrams will do with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it is not clear if this is good or bad news. For fans of the director, it’s the best thing they’ve heard since Episode VII was announced. For detractors, not so much.

It was widely reported that Rian Johnson, who is directing Star Wars: Episode VIII, would also be at the helm for Episode IX. However, rumor is that J.J. Abrams, who wrote the script for The Force Awakens, is the top contender for the last installment of this trilogy.

When the creative team that will lead the next two episodes and the newly announced spinoff, Rogue One, was announced last week, Abrams’ name was suspiciously absent and was only added later on as a producer, according to Latino Review,

Even though J.J. Abrams is not mentioned as part of the team behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ companions, the report suggests he is intimately involved in all aspects of the films Disney and Lucasfilm are planning to bring to the big screen in the next few years. So much so, that the publications thinks Abrams is the top candidate to direct Episode IX.

After all, Disney wants a core creative group to bring to life this next part of the Star Wars saga, at least that’s what fans hope. To say the fandom is seriously anticipating The Force Awakens would be a huge understatement and the studio is pulling all the stops to make sure a new generation embraces this trilogy.

The relationship between J.J. Abrams and Disney has not been a smooth one, if reports are to be believed. Disagreements reportedly plagued the production, but they worked it out and now they want the Star Trek: Into Darkness director back. Latino Review insist these are just rumors (from four different sources) at this point, but the fact that they printed out a piece on it made the rest of us pay attention.

The best news to come out of the Star Wars: Episode IX rumor mill, is that according to the sources, those who have seen footage from The Force Awakens are more than impressed with what J.J. Abrams has done with this chapter. Are you excited?

[Photo by Keith Tsuji/Getty Images]