Star Wars Episode 9's new director is a familiar face

Well, that didn't take long: just days after announcing that Disney had parted ways with Star Wars Episode 9 direct Colin Trevorrow, the movie already has a new director. Fans of the franchise will immediately recognize this new director, as he helped usher in a new era of Star Wars with the beginning of this new trilogy.

Yes, we're talking about none other than JJ Abrams. Abrams was wrote and directed Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens, kicking off this new trilogy with a well-received entry. The Force Awakens, however, received some criticism that it played things a little too safe, so there will certainly be some folks who are interested in seeing what Abrams can do with the final movie in the new trilogy.

In addition to directing, Abrams will also be writing Episode 9, which doesn't have a title and likely won't until after The Last Jedi has premiered later this year. The production team behind Episode 9 seems to have plenty of faith in Abrams as well. "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," Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement to StarWars.com today.

It was just six days ago that Disney announced the departure of Trevorrow from Episode 9. No specific reason was given for the split, with Disney merely saying that it and Trevorrow had different visions for the film. At first, it seemed like The Last Jedi writer and director Rian Johnson could be a suitable replacement, but instead, Disney has decided to bring Abrams back for another shot at the Star Wars series.

We still have quite some time to wait before we see what Abrams can do with the final movie in the trilogy, as Star Wars Episode 9 isn't due out until May 24, 2019. In the meantime, though, we have The Last Jedi to look forward to, which releases in theaters on December 15. Are you excited to see Abrams get another shot at Star Wars? Head down to the comments section and let us know!