J.J. Abrams Opens Up About ‘Star Wars’ And His Troubles With Ending Movies

In an effort to channel past themes grounded by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, J.J. Abrams’s “The Rise of Skywalker” will bookend a generations-long adventure. This also invites a great deal of pressure for the movie, yet the filmmaker seems to understand the concerns.

Abrams recently spoke with The New York Times in birthing the close of Lucas’ storyline despite his shortcomings. While it’s not the last of the “Star Wars” movies, “The Rise of Skywalker” will attempt to end a saga that weaves three different generations into one cohesive narrative.

“I’ve never been great at endings,” Abrams candidly explains. “I don’t actually think I’m good at anything, but I know how to begin a story. Ending a story is tough.”

Before taking on “Star Wars,” Abrams had rekindled the “Star Trek” franchise with a reboot film that, like “Star Wars,” weaves the old in with the new. His “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was met with positive reviews, one of which even said the filmmaker “clearly knows how to stay faithful to sci-fi classics.”

“Endings are the thing that scare me the most,” said Abrams to Entertainment Weekly. He goes on, “We went into this thing knowing it has to be an ending. We’re not screwing around.”

Yet, with “The Rise of Skywalker” leaks floating about en masse on the web, as well as John Boyega’s script getting pawned on eBay, Abrams had to ensure that moviegoers would still react with awe and tension. There were also rumors that “The Rise of Skywalker” was not finished until a few months before its release.

“Sticking this landing is one of the harder jobs that I could have taken,” Abrams said to NYT. “But that was why it felt worthy of saying yes.”

Abrams’s awareness of the concerns, in addition to his own previous directorial setbacks, is proof that he wants to ensure “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” has a lasting impact on the franchise.

“Can it go on? Of course it can go on. But there’s something bold about saying this is what the story should be,” said Abrams to NYT. “Any great ending is a new beginning on some level.”

Abrams’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” releases Dec. 20.