‘The whole thing was a crazy leap of faith’: JJ Abrams reveals he almost turned down directing 'Star Wars IX'

JJ Abrams says he almost did t direct upcoming "Star Wars: Episode IX" and taking up project was a "crazy leap of faith" for filmmaker. 

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director, who helmed "Episode VII: Force Awakens", said it was President of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy who asked him to give it a go. 

"I wasn't supposed to be re. I wasn't guy, ya' kw? I was working on some or things. And n Kathy Kennedy called and said, 'Would you really, seriously, consider coming aboard?' whole thing was a crazy leap of faith. And re was an actual moment when I nearly said, ', I'm t going to do this.' 

"It was almost, on a personal level, a dangerous thing to get too close to something that you care that much about. I felt a little bit like I was playing with fire. Like, why go back? We mand to make it work. What hell am I thinking?" Abrams told Fast Company. 

director also shared it was challenging to commit completing film he came onboard in 2017, with Disney committing to a release date in 2019.  

"You've got two years from decision to do it to release, and you have literally thing. You don't have story, you don't have cast, you don't have designers, sets," he said. 

Abrams also said that following story in Rian Johnson's " Last Jedi" was ar task. 

"It was a completely unkwn scenario. I h some gut instincts about where story would have gone. But without getting in weeds on 'Episode VIII', that was a story that Rian wrote and was telling based on seven before we met. So he was taking thing in ar direction. 

"('Episode IX') was t just following what we h started, it was following what we h started and n h been vanced by someone else. So re was that, and, finally, it was resolving nine movies," he said. 

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final film in sequel trilogy is slated to be released on December 20.