According to a close friend of J.J. Abrams he’s already kicking himself for not directing Star Wars Episode VIII after being blown away by the script….
When J.J. Abrams signed on to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens (affectionately known as Star Wars Episode VII at the time), many believed that he would end up in charge of at least one more film in the franchise if not the entire trilogy.
Before Abrams even finished editing the movie, however, Lucasfilm executives had already chosen Looper direct Rian Johnson to write and direct the next film in the series due out in 2017.
Ultimately, Abrams wanted to stay focused on the first Star Wars movie he was directing and opted not to sign on for multiple features, but it turns out after he read the script for Star Wars Episode VIII he regrets that decision.
According to Abrams’ good friend Greg Grunberg, who scored a small part as a X-Wing pilot in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, after he read the script for the sequel, he actually expressed that he wishes he had stuck around to direct the next movie in the series as well.
“He read it and said something he never, ever says,” Grunberg said to the Washington Post. “He said ‘It’s so good, I wish I were making it.’
“He may have said something one time on Lost, with Damon (Lindelof, the co-creator), but I never hear him express regret like that.”
The Star Wars Episode VIII script has been passed around at this point with filming starting soon with the release date currently set at May 26, 2017.
Following Johnson’s work on Episode VIII, Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow will take over directing duties for Star Wars Episode IX due out in 2019.
