J.J. Abrams to direct Star Wars: Episode IX?

Currently hard at work putting the finishing touches to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, J.J. Abrams’ time in a galaxy far, far away may be set to continue.

A recent scoop from Latino Review reveals that the filmmaker now stands “a good chance” of returning to helm Star Wars: Episode IX. Four separate sources verified their intel suggesting that Abrams is the studio’s top choice to direct.

Disney execs treated to a screening of his current work-in-progress were reportedly “very happy” with what they saw and are keen for him to commandeer the final instalment in the main trilogy.

No word yet from the studio or Abrams’ own camp on the rumor, but it’s still an exciting prospect considering the filmmaker’s enthusiasm for the franchise.

As it stands, The Force Awakens will open on December 18th, the first standalone movie Star Wars: Rogue One is due December 16, 2016, and Episode XIII is pencilled in for a May 2017 release. With or without Abrams Episode IX is expected to arrive in 2019.

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Gem Seddon

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.