--- title: J.J. Abrams Will Return to Direct Star Wars: Episode IX description: The director of 'The Force Awakens' will take on the final installment in the trilogy, following the departure of director Colin Trevorrow. canonical: https://time.com/4937299/jj-abrams-star-wars-episode-ix/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-09-12T15:11:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:47:10.714Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: J.J. Abrams Will Return to Direct 'Star Wars: Episode IX' og:description: Colin Trevorrow departed the project just last week og:url: https://time.com/4937299/jj-abrams-star-wars-episode-ix/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt119aed7fa6236fba/6988dd56ab6d7789986afc45/jj-abrams.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Keri Russell Honored With Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: J.J. Abrams Will Return to Direct 'Star Wars: Episode IX' twitter:description: Colin Trevorrow departed the project just last week twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt119aed7fa6236fba/6988dd56ab6d7789986afc45/jj-abrams.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # J.J. Abrams Will Return to Write and Direct _Star Wars: Episode IX_ > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 12, 2017 3:11 PM UTC  Producer J.J. Abrams attends Keri Russell's induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 30, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic) Producer J.J. Abrams attends Keri Russell's induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 30, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 12, 2017 3:11 PM UTC The game of directorial musical chairs in the _Star Wars_ universe continues: [J.J. Abrams](http://time.com/4130558/jj-abrams-luke-skywalker-star-wars/) has signed on to helm the upcoming installment, _Star Wars: Episode IX_. Abrams’ return to the franchise was announced just one week after news broke that _Jurassic World_ director Colin Trevorrow was [departing the project](http://time.com/4928464/colin-trevorrow-star-wars-episode-9-lucasfilm/). As Lucasfilm explained in a [statement](http://www.starwars.com/news/a-statement-regarding-star-wars-episode-ix) last week, “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.” Abrams will direct and co-write the third installment of the sequel trilogy, produced in conjunction with Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy, [StarWars.com](http://www.starwars.com/news/j-j-abrams-to-write-and-direct-star-wars-episode-ix) reports. This follows his work as writer, director and producer of 2015’s [_The Force Awakens_](http://time.com/4319331/j-j-abrams-lin-manuel-miranda-duet-star-wars-day/)_._ He is also [credited](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527336/?ref%5F=nv%5Fsr%5F1) as an executive producer on the upcoming _Star Wars: The_ _Last Jedi_, which is directed by [Rian Johnson](http://time.com/4774635/star-wars-the-last-jedi-rian-johnson-fan-trailer/). “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,” said Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. This news follows another director switch-up on the [Han Solo spinoff ](http://time.com/4894331/star-wars-donald-glover-on-han-solo-ron-howard/)movie: _Lego Movie_ directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller stepped away from their roles on that film [back in June](http://time.com/4826075/star-wars-han-solo-phil-lord-christopher-miller-directors/), and have since been replaced by Academy Award winner [Ron Howard](http://time.com/4828521/ron-howard-star-wars-han-solo/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4937299/jj-abrams-star-wars-episode-ix/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4937299/jj-abrams-star-wars-episode-ix/"},"headline":"J.J. 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