New Star Wars: Episode IX Release Date Announced

J.J. Abrams will now direct the final episode in this sequel trilogy.

By Jonathon Dornbush

Star Wars: Episode IX will now be released on December 20, 2019, Lucasfilm announced today.

Lucasfilm previously dated Episode IX for a May 24, 2019 release date earlier this year.

The altered release date comes on the same day Lucasfilm confirmed that J.J. Abrams will now take over directorial duties on the upcoming Star Wars film, following in his work as director on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Abrams will co-write Episode IX alongside Chris Terrio.

Colin Trevorrow was originally attached to direct Star Wars: Episode IX, but due to alleged friction with Lucasfilm, the Jurassic World director was dropped from the project. Prior reports suggested The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson was being eyed to helm Episode IX, the prospect of which he cast doubt on earlier this week.

For more on Abrams work in the Star Wars universe, read IGN's Star Wars: The Force Awakens review to find out why we found Abrams' first Star Wars movie to be "a great way to reboot the franchise and open the world up for a new generation of fans."

The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15, 2017 — for more on the next Star Wars film to be released, check out the latest look at The last Jedi.

Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

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