A while back, J.J. Abrams stated that he was no longer interested in directing reboots and remakes but instead wanted to pursue more original projects. He made particular mention that he would not be returning to the Star Wars franchise after directing Episode VII, so it came as a sudden reversal when it was announced that he was the one chosen to direct Episode IX after its original director Colin Trevorrow had been ousted. Recently, Abrams commented that he decided to return to the Star Wars franchise when the chance came up because he wanted the chance to do even better on Episode IX than he did on Episode VII. Something that may or may not come as welcome news to the segments of the Star Wars fandom that were less than enthusiastic about him having been chosen to helm the last movie in the current Star Wars trilogy.
Why Was J.J. Abrams Chosen to Direct Star Wars Episode IX?
With that said, it might be interesting to look at some of the probable reasons that Abrams was chosen to direct Episode IX. For starters, Colin Trevorrow was the original choice for the director of Episode IX. However, he was unable to cooperate with the movie studio to come up with a plan that met with both of their approval, with the result that he chose to step aside. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that Disney was having problems with the Han Solo movie as well, which is undergoing a great deal of refilming at the moment because its previous directors’ work was incompatible with the vision of the movie studio, with one example being their belief that they had been hired to make a Star Wars comedy whereas the movie studio’s belief was that they had been hired to add what was called “a comedic touch” to the movie.
Under those circumstances, it is no wonder that the movie studio decided to approach someone who had proven to be capable of working with them in a smooth and uninterrupted manner on Star Wars movies. Rian Johnson seems to have been considered, but he had a couple of problems in that regard. First, he was still finishing up Episode VIII at the time. Second, it was announced later that he had been chosen to helm a new Star Wars trilogy that would explore an untouched part of the setting, meaning that he would not have had the time needed to helm Episode IX even if Disney was willing to push back production on the movie. As a result, Abrams became the natural choice for the movie studio because while some elements of his film-making might have been criticized by some Star Wars fans, he is a proven director who can achieve commercial success for his movies while working well with the movie studios, which are valuable characteristics to say the least.
Further Considerations
It remains to be seen what will happen with Abrams’s next project in the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars being Star Wars, it seems probable that Episode IX will manage to be successful at the box office in December of 2019 no matter what it looks like. However, considering Abrams’s stated intention to do better, it will be interesting to see whether something made by him can satisfy the most critical elements of the Star Wars fandom or not.
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