Although J.J. Abrams isn't directing the next installment of Star Wars, he's pretty clued up on the story that's going to unfold.

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Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour, where he was supporting his upcoming Showtime series Roadies, Abrams told the press that he knows "quite a bit" about Rey's mysterious lineage."I know quite a bit," said Abrams. "But obviously it’s not for me to talk about in this moment because this is Rian (Johnson's) story to continue now and the last thing I’m going to do is reveal something he would be upset about. I want to make sure Rian gets that courtesy that he had shown me."When asked if it was "crazy" to sit on such a huge secret for so long, Abrams replied "not for me!"Abrams also addressed recent comments from The Force Awakens' actor and long-time friend Greg Grunberg, who claimed the director regretted the decision to not take on Episode VIII "Here’s the thing about Greg," said Abrams. "You put a microphone in front of him and you never know what you’re going to get. I love my friend Greg. He’s my best friend since kindergarten. I think that he was… My enthusiasm for [Episode] VIII is enormous. I think he also might have invented a couple of the quotes that he gave. But I am very much excited for and very jealous of anyone, especially Rian, who gets to work so closely with this extraordinary cast and crew – truly an amazing group. In that regard, for sure. But honestly, I’m relieved to have had a chance to do a Star Wars movie."While not much is known about Star Wars Episode VIII (predictably), actor John Boyega recently let slip that the Johnson-directed sequel will be "much darker" than Abrams' effort.

Lucy O'Brien is Entertainment Editor at IGN’s AU office. Follow her ramblings on Twitter. Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheEricGoldman , IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at Facebook.com/TheEricGoldman