Star Wars Episode 9 Director Confirms That The Script Is Finished

Star Wars Episode IX was originally set to be directed by Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow, but in September last year, Trevorrow was replaced by Force Awakens director JJ Abrams. The movie's release was pushed from May until December of 2019 as Abrams worked on a new script, but the director has now revealed that it is finished and the movie will begin production this summer.

Abrams appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and was asked about progress on Episode IX. "We have a script, which is a big deal for me," he said. "It starts shooting end of July. Sometimes having the script in advance is something I haven't always been lucky enough to have. But I'm writing this with Chris Terrio, who's a genius, and I'm having a great time."

In October, Abrams hinted that he wouldn't play it safe with his second Star Wars film. "I feel like we need to approach this with the same excitement that we had when we were kids loving what these movies were," he said. "But at the same time, we have to take them places that they haven't gone, and that's sort of our responsibility."

Most of the key actors from both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are expected to return for Episode IX, including Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac. Ridley has already stated that this will be her final Star Wars movie. "I am really, really excited to do the third thing and round it out, because ultimately, what I was signing on to was three films," she said in December. "So in my head, it's three films. I think it will feel like the right time to round it out."

The next film in the franchise to hit theaters will be Solo: A Star Wars Story, which arrives in May. Beyond that, Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is developing a new series of Star Wars movies, as are Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.