Star Wars: Episode IX

This week it was reported that JJ Abrams is apparently shopping around a new deal in Hollywood, one that when you look at it, is kind of incredible. He wants to make what is being described as a “record breaking overall deal” with a studio, which looks to mean that he will work exclusively with whatever studio signs the deal with him. And according to Variety, Disney is one of the top two studios looking to make the deal with the famed director, and most likely it is because of the phenomenal work he has done on the ‘Star Wars’ saga, the new era of which he launched for them in 2015 with ‘The Force Awakens.’

Since then, it has been a bit of a bumpy road with directors, one that has ultimately led back to Abrams himself returning to the franchise to direct the final chapter of the new trilogy when Colin Trevorrow was fired. So why exactly did JJ Abrams decide to return to the galaxy far, far away for ‘Episode IX’ ? In his words:

“I learned so much in that movie and I saw that this was a chance to sort of realize something that we hadn’t quite achieved – and part of that was it was simply the beginning of these new characters and their story,” Abrams explained. “The opportunity to sort of take what we had learned, to take the feeling of who these characters are and what they are and give them a final chapter that felt in the spirit of what we begun?…It was too delicious of an opportunity to pass up.”

Industry insiders are reporting that the latest ‘Star Wars’ that Abrams is directing will be a “course correction” for the franchise, alluding to the critical and commercial failure of ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story.’ and also the issues with the controversial ‘Episode VIII: The Last Jedi,’ which left fans divided. While doing well at the box office domestically, ‘Th Last Jedi’ did not do well overseas at all. All of which could be why Disney takes the deal with Abrams guaranteeing them a steady hand on the wheel for any future ‘Star Wars’ film that may prove problematic, or really, a solid director for any of their numerous franchises which nowadays does also include the ‘Indiana Jones’ movies, the MCU, all of the incoming FOX properties, and the Disney live-action films that the studio has been pumping out. Abrams would be opening himself up to, pardon the pun, a whole new world of possibilities if he signed on with Disney, even if it meant leaving behind other franchises like ‘Star Trek’ or some of his more indie features.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think that Abrams can save the ‘Star Wars’ saga? Do you even think it needs saving? Would you want him to become one of the “go to” directors for Disney? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: Variety