'Star Wars 9' News: Domhnall Gleeson Thrilled By J.J. Abrams' Return as Director
Domhnall Gleeson and J.J. Abrams are reportedly set to work together again in "Star Wars: Episode IX," and the actor could not be any more excited. Last week, it was confirmed that Abrams would sit on the film's directorial chair after the exit of its original director, Colin Trevorrow.
The next installment in the "Star Wars" franchise is currently in development, with the new director taking over the writing duties with his writing partner, "Justice League's" Chris Terrio. According to reports, Abrams is scrapping Trevorrow's original ideas for the film so he and Terrio are practically starting from scratch.
Although nothing is known yet about how Abrams will close out the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, actor Gleeson recently revealed how thrilled he was about the prospect of reuniting with the renowned filmmaker.
"And then with J.J., he's a great director. I think that he did a brilliant job on the first one and it makes absolute sense why after they parted company with Colin that was the place they looked and I think it's very exciting for the fans of the film that he's back," Gleeson said in a phone interview with IGN when asked about Abrams being tapped as the new director of "Star Wars 9."
In the franchise, Gleeson plays the legacy character General Hux. After being introduced in 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the First Order military leader is now set to work with Adam Driver's Kylo Ren in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," although the two tend to compete with each other as well. As of now, the character's involvement in "Star Wars 9" has not been confirmed yet, but speculations are rife that he will be back for the next installment.
Meanwhile, not everyone was initially happy about Abrams' involvement in "Episode IX." Last week, fans of the franchise started an online petition at Change.org asking for the firing of the director from the upcoming film, garnering at least 4,453 signatures as of this time.
Despite the many detractors, however, many are still excited to see Abrams return to direct the next "Star Wars" film, especially since he was the one who paved the way for the relaunching of the sci-fi/fantasy franchise with 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."