J.J. Abrams to direct Star Wars: Episode VII

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According to multiple industry reports

J.J. Abrams is set to direct Star Wars: Episode VII , according to The Wrap and other industry sources.

While the initial report was met with some dubiousness, it has been followed up by a Deadline article and a tweet from The Hollywood Reporter ’s Borys Kitt.

The latter suggest negotiations are ongoing, but Deadline calls it a done deal. It seems as if Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has been courting Abrams for some time. Ben Affleck was also said to be in the running.

If the news is true, it’s one of the most internet-shattering revelations since… well, the announcement that there’s going to be a Star Wars: Episode VII .

It’s no surprise that Abrams is a sought after candidate: he made Star Trek movies cool, proving he could satisfy fans while welcoming noobs, and Super 8 proved he could homage classic ‘70s/’80s era sci-fi blockbusters in a thoroughly modern way.

As soon as there’s an official announcement from Disney, we’ll let you know, but there’s one question that’s on our mind for now: can one person really direct Trek and Wars ?

And in the past, Abrams has been vocally against taking the SW directing job, saying, “It comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series... I am looking forward more than anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars , but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer."

At least we can be pretty sure that interviewers are going to have something to bug J.J. about other than Khan now…

Matt Maytum
Matt Maytum
Former Editor of Total Film magazine

Matt Maytum is the former Editor of Total Film magazine. Over the past decade, Matt has worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.