Star Wars Fans Started A Petition To Have J.J. Abrams Fired From Directing Episode IX

Fans started a petition to have Lucasfilm remove J.J. Abrams from directing Star Wars: Episode IX, just a week after he was hired for it.

Last week, Lucasfilm announced that J.J. Abrams would be the new director after Colin Trevorrow got fired from helming Episode IX.

Despite the success of Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a disgruntled fan started a petition to "Remove J.J. Abrams as director of Star Wars: Episode IX", and at the time of this writing, there are 1,827 signatures already.

According to petitioner Matt Vela, Abrams direction of The Force Awakens resulted in a movie too similar to Star Wars: A New Hope. "There was virtually no creativity," he wrote, "and no risks taken."

Matt argues that Lucasfilm and Disney promised a new director in every film of the new Star Wars trilogy "to promote a fresh new vision on every instalment. Therefore, to prevent Star Wars Episode IX from becoming yet another rip off of the original trilogy (specifically, a rip off of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi), and for the good of the Star Wars brand, we demand that Kathleen Kennedy replace J.J. Abrams as director of the upcoming Episode 9 film."

Fan petitions like this usually don't affect the decisions of studios but hopefully, J.J. Abrams will take this as constructive feedback to develop make a more original Star Wars installment.

Star Wars: Episode IX is set to release in theaters on December 20, 2019. The Last Jedi will be out in theaters on December 15, 2017.

Read more: Star Wars: Episode IX Looking For Actors And Extras