"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.
Prior to tapping Abrams, the studio reached out to Episode VIII director Rian Johnson, who opted not to take part in the follow-up feature, Deadline previously reported.
Of course, we’ll have to wait awhile to see how Abrams’ creative vision pans out, with Episode IX still being light-years away. In the meantime, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, is set to premiere on Dec. 15.