We've known for some time that Rian Johnson will be stepping in to direct Star Wars: Episode VIII after J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out. However, back in March, we heard that Disney might want Abrams to come back for Episode IX

Despite the rumor, Abrams recently confirmed he will not be directing the third and final film of the new trilogy. "No, I'm not going to direct Episode IX, as much as I am deeply envious of anyone who gets to work with this group of people on the future movies," the filmmaker told Entertainment Weekly

New Star Wars: The Force Awakens Photos

That said, Abrams and co-writer Lawrence Kasdan have already mapped out what will be picked up by Johnson in Episode VIII, so in a way Abrams' influence will continue -- much like the ghost of Obi-Wan, as EW points out. "It's a thrill to see [Johnson] take things and elevate them beyond what we had imagined at the time," Abrams said.

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Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy added that, while the new trilogy has been roughed out, there's still plenty of room for Johnson to make his mark. "We know where we're going, but only in the broadest sense," she said. "When Rian came in and started writing his script, he started from scratch, other than knowing what we had done in Episode VII and projecting out where it was going. He then sat down and put pen to paper, and it's 100-percent him."The Force Awakens hits theaters December 18, 2015, followed by Episode VIII on May 26, 2017 and Episode IX sometime in 2019.

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