J.J. Abrams Wrote Drafts for 'Star Wars 8' and 'Star Wars 9,' Daisy Ridley Reveals
Before Disney accepted Rian Johnson's script for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," there had been a few who also submitted their drafts to the studio. One of them was J.J. Abrams.
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" star Daisy Ridley has revealed that Abrams actually wrote drafts for "Star Wars 8" and "Star Wars 9," but Disney had to ditch these drafts to let Johnson take over and write what would become "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
In an interview with French publication Le Magazine Geek, Ridley said, "Here's what I think I know. J.J. wrote Episode VII, as well as drafts for VIII and IX. Then Rian Johnson arrived and wrote TLJ entirely. I believe there was some sort of general consensus on the main lines of the trilogy, but apart from that, every director writes and realizes his film in his own way. Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams met to discuss all of this, although Episode VIII is still his very own work. I believe Rian didn't keep anything from the first draft of Episode VIII."
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Abrams wrote the first film in the current trilogy, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which, despite its box office success, was criticized as being too derivative of "Star Wars: A New Hope." Although it is no secret among "Star Wars" fans that Johnson's script was the one used in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," it is interesting to know that Abrams also had an idea for the film that was completely different from Johnson's.
Johnson's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" was pretty divisive. While it fared well at the box office, there were a few who criticized where Johnson took the trilogy. With Ridley revealing that Abrams already had an idea for "Star Wars 8" after helming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," it is intriguing how "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" would have turned out had Disney chosen his script over Johnson's.
Previously, it was confirmed that director Colin Trevorrow had co-written a script for "Star Wars 9," but with Abrams stepping back into the role, fans will know if he will use his own draft as a starting point for the project.
"Star Wars 9" is set for release on Dec. 19, 2019.
