J.J. Abrams Assures Fans ‘Rise of Skywalker’ Won’t Emulate Predecessors

There’s a great deal of weight riding on J.J. Abrams’ upcoming “Star Wars” sequel, which serves as the final film in the Skywalker franchise. Due to the amount of lopsided reception “The Last Jedi” garnered, in addition to the somewhat negative reviews given to “The Force Awakens” for its similarities to “A New Hope,” it appears Abrams wants to steer fan reception in the right direction from the outset.

In an interview with Total Film (via Gizmodo), Abrams revealed his initial target for “The Force Awakens” is vastly different from that of his approach to the upcoming final film in the Skywalker saga.

“In 'Episode VII,' I was adhering to a kind of approach that felt right for ‘Star Wars’ in my head. It was about finding a visual language, like shooting on locations and doing practical things as much as possible,” he said. “And we continue that in 'Episode IX,' but I also found myself doing things I’m not sure I would have been as daring to do on 'Episode VII.'”

Though minuscule, Abrams’ new direction can be best viewed in the various teases by “Star Wars” actor John Boyega. Potential clues as to the direction of the film remain iffy at best, though certain bits of the premise has already been teased in trailers, such as the return of Emperor Palpatine and the potential death of C-3PO.

This likely explains why Abrams has utilized Johnson’s directorial and storytelling capabilities to his advantage with “The Rise of Skywalker.” The director has seemingly come to grips with the fact that “The Force Awakens” seemed to emulate “A New Hope” too much, and, with his newest film, he not only wants to amend that mistake but bolster it even further through a more weighty portrayal.

“Rian [Johnson] helped remind me that that’s why we’re on these movies — not to just do something that you’ve seen before,” he said. “I won’t say that I felt constrained or limited on VII, but I found myself wanting to do something that felt more consistent with the original trilogy than not. And on IX, I found myself feeling like I’m just gonna go for it a bit more.”

With an eagerly awaiting fanbase begging for a well-earned and climactic end to the saga, Abrams will have to pull out all of the stops to appease the “Star Wars” fans and critics alike. Though, judged by his outward vision thus far, in addition to several leaks proven by the trailers, the final movie in the Skywalker legacy already appears extremely promising for longtime fans of the franchise.

“The Rise of Skywalker” Force thrusts into cinemas on December 20, 2019.