When it was announced that J.J. Abrams would be taking over for Star Wars Episode IX, a lot of fans who didn't like The Last Jedi were immediately into the notion that he would be ‘fixing' what director Rian Johnson supposedly ‘broke.' Too bad for them though, because it looks like Johnson was still involved when it came to the making of The Rise of Skywalker.
Talking to Good Morning America, Abrams explained, "We met with George [Lucas], we met with Rian [Johnson], we talked the narrative. This was a lot of thinking and trying not to overthink, but really considering what that had meant."
It's worth noting that Abrams wasn't alone in writing the script either as he had brought along Chris Terrio to develop the screenplay for TROS. With the studio firing original director Colin Trevorrow, the two had to start from scratch, and based on the remnants of the old Death Star in the teaser, this film may also be recycling some unused concepts from The Force Awakens.
Though some people may have hated TLJ, it felt that what Johnson did with the story was to take it to a more mature direction, and it gave some fantastic themes about failure and relying on oneself—all while juggling some fantastic visuals and great set pieces.
With The Rise of Skywalker, I'm sure Abrams wouldn't want to go back and retcon what Johnson brought to the story. I mean, sure we can have some fanservice by bringing Palpatine back, but I'm really hoping we don't get any reveals that Rey was secretly a Kenobi or Kylo Ren was a clone of the Emperor.
Catch Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in theaters Dec. 20.
See Also: Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker: Sizzle Reel from SWCC 2019 Leaks Online
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Star Wars: Episode IX