JJ Abrams: Lack of plan in Star Wars’ latest trilogy was a “critical” flaw

Enlarge / No, the Collider interview doesn't mention Jar Jar, but who doesn't love an opportunity to put JJ next to Star Wars' other big "JJ"? (credit: Sam Machkovech / Lucasfilm / Getty Images)

An upcoming interview with filmmaker JJ Abrams will span the entirety of his career, and that means it includes significant statements about his work on the latest Star Wars trilogy. From the sound of things, 17 months of distance from his last Star Wars film, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, have given him either the clarity or the cushion needed to speak frankly on what the film arguably flubbed.

Ahead of the full interview's publication-which takes advantage of the upcoming 10th-anniversary Blu-ray of Abrams' Super 8-Collider released an excerpt on Wednesday focusing on his directing and co-writing work on both Episodes VII and IX. The takeaway seems loud and clear: the new trilogy as a whole, which he bookended, would have benefited from more consistency.

Abrams' quotes in isolation may sound like he's speaking about the entirety of his career, but they're specifically in response to Collider's questions about the director and writer hand-off between entries in the "Rey trilogy." His first answer includes a bigger-picture estimation about best-laid plans, hinting to issues with a single actor or when "a relationship as written doesn't quite work."

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