J.J. Abrams Has Signed On To Direct ‘Star Wars’

Star Trek director J.J. Abrams has reportedly signed on to direct Star Wars: Episode VII for Disney and Lucasfilm.

Although he previously stated that he really had no interest in helming the next installment in the beloved franchise, J.J. Abrams will now tackle directing duties on the forthcoming flick. According to Cinema Blend, the deal has been confirmed by at least three industry sources.

News of the Super 8 director’s involvement with Star Wars: Episode VII first appeared over at The Wrap. Although details about the arrangement are few and far between at the moment, someone who claimed to be close to the production said Abrams has agreed to spearhead the project.

Deadline confirmed the news through their own source, as did the folks over at The Hollywood Reporter. However, fans should probably wait until Abrams himself addresses the matter before treating any reports as gospel.

News of the director’s involvement with the Star Wars universe certainly comes as a shock given the filmmaker’s comments on the subject last year. During an interview with Empire, Abrams explained that he had declined offers to direct the flick early on.

He explained:

“There were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to ‘Star Trek,’ and also just being a fan, I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version of those things. I declined any involvement very early on. I’d rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them.”

Only time will tell if this particular Star Wars is the real deal. Earlier this month, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder was reportedly attached to direct a spin-off Star Wars flick. It didn’t take long before Snyder said otherwise.

As of this writing, neither Disney nor Abrams has confirmed the news.

Are you excited about J.J. Abrams’ involvement with the Star Wars franchise?