"Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" Director J.J. Abrams has revealed how his film would connect to Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode VIII."
In his interview with Collider, Abrams said that working on "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" had been as much about setting up elements of what was more than what people were seeing, as it had been about telling a story that would be satisfying in and of itself. He added that it could not feel like a cop-out, since they were just laying the foundation of things without giving resolution to them.
Abrams seems to have been working hand in hand with Johnson and producer Ram Bergman to ascertain that the forthcoming "Star Wars" sequels are set up the right approach. The filmmaker also said that with the script for "Star Wars VIII" being written, he had showed Johnson an early cut of the film to aid the latter in doing his rewrite and prepping.
For Abrams, he wanted to make the transition from "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" to "Star Wars: Episode VIII" unified as possible. Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" is assumed as the film of the year after the release of its latest trailer, according to Comic Book Resources.
"Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" is set 30 years after the events in the "Return of Jedi." It stars an ensemble of both old and new heroes and villains played by Harrison Ford as Solo, Daisy Ridley as Rey, Adam Driver as Ren, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Max von Sydow, Simon Pegg, Gwendoline Christie, Domhnall Gleeson, John Boyega, and Carrie Fisher, among others.
Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" hits theaters on Dec. 18 while Gareth Edwards's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" premieres on Dec. 16, 2016. Meanwhile, Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode VIII" is slated to premiere in theaters on May 26, 2017 while Colin Trevorrow's "Star Wars: Episode IX" premieres in 2019.
Watch the international trailer here: