STAR WARS: EPISODE IX Director J.J. Abrams Confirms Summer Start Date For Filming At D23 Expo Japan

STAR WARS: EPISODE IX Director J.J. Abrams Confirms Summer Start Date For Filming At D23 Expo Japan

Star Wars: Episode IX director J.J. Abrams and Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard made a video appearance at D23 Expo Japan where they shared some fun info on their films. Details past the jump.

News
By MattIsForReal - Feb 11, 2018 08:02 AM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars
Source: D23
There have been numerous rumors and reports regarding the start of filming for Star Wars: Episode IX, but now director J.J. Abrams has reportedly confirmed the summer window.

According to the official D23 Disney Fan Club, Abrams, who is also co-writing the third and final film in the new trilogy, filmed a special greeting for audience members at Japan's D23 Expo. In his message he revealed that he was "hard at work co-writing Episode IX before directing it this summer."

Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard also appeared in a video message containing "never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes footage" of the upcoming standalone film. Disney and Lucasfilm typically release these behind-the-scenes videos online at some point following major events, so hopefully we get to see the Solo one soon. 

While Episode IX very much remains a secret, we got our first official look at Solo via a teaser trailer last week. Check it out below.



Solo: A Star Wars Story flies into theaters May 25, 2018, while Star Wars: Epixode IX will make its way into theaters on December 20, 2019.


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AbidNaga
AbidNaga - 2/11/2018, 9:05 AM
After having barely watched any Star Wars just last year, have to say I really enjoyed all the new films and for the first time; I'm excited for a star wars film.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 2/11/2018, 9:05 AM
Kind of a lose/lose situation for Star Wars at this point - cannot see Episode 9 magically fixing things or restoring interest.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 2/11/2018, 9:11 AM
@Scarilian - Nothing needs to be fixed. In fact, Episode 8 fixed TFA & the direction of this trilogy from looking like a copycat of the OT
MultiMedia996
MultiMedia996 - 2/11/2018, 9:21 AM
@LEVITIKUZ - Except it still kind of is. Rich Evans put it best. "At the end of the day, it's still a man with a lightsaber and a giant army fighting a small group of rebels with a young inexperienced Jedi who helps them". This movie made my problems with The Force Awakens worse because it doesn't really give me a reason to think the idea of having the Imperials as bad guys again was a good idea. This film still copies beats from previous movies and no SUBVERSIONS really changes that.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 2/11/2018, 9:26 AM
@MultiMedia996 - There’s a bit more than just that.

In the OT, Vader was just muscle for the Emperor. In ROTJ he was conflicted.

Here Kylo isn’t conflicted about his mentor or army. He’s in control

The issue now though is a possible muntity by Hux who thought about killing Kylo. We also had Kylo get embarassed in front of his entire army. His emotions got the best of him. Could we see the first order betray Kylo? Maybe. It would be interesting

I do feel on the other side, things are similar. I will agree to that.

Having said that, right now the best part about 9 is I have zero idea where it will go.

Until J.J. decides let’s remake 6 and have a new Starkiller base & Ewoks are back lol
MultiMedia996
MultiMedia996 - 2/11/2018, 9:32 AM
@LEVITIKUZ - Superficial stuff. It's still the same.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 2/11/2018, 9:34 AM
@LEVITIKUZ -

Episode 8 fixed very little when you really think about it and the plot holes alongside missing/unexplained aspects of TFA and TLJ will need to be explained in Episode 9 otherwise as a trilogy it wont work well.

As individual films, this series barely works - because each is reliant on promises of plot being told in later films.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 2/11/2018, 9:38 AM
@MultiMedia996 - Then I guess every superhero film is the same by that logic

You have a person or group of people fighting someone bad & stop them from doing bad stuff.

The details are important. It’s what makes things different & not the same
TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 2/11/2018, 9:44 AM
@MultiMedia996 - At the end of the day it’s just a hero in a costume with special abilities or skills facing some antagonist who feels the world has wronged him in some way.
ElCidJedi
ElCidJedi - 2/11/2018, 9:58 AM
@LEVITIKUZ - TLJ is just a ripoff of scenes from ESB and ROTJ... except you don’t care about the characters and some terrible additions to the cast / meaningless subplots. I can’t begin to understand your point of view.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 2/11/2018, 9:13 AM
What about the title? We got the title for ep 8 during January 2017, sooooo....
DaHyro
DaHyro - 2/11/2018, 9:18 AM
Thought: What if Rey is the new "Chosen One"? That was a cliché in the Prequels, but I feel like they should totally embrace it. It would explain why Rey is so strong in the Force
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 2/11/2018, 9:21 AM
@DaHyro - TLJ was all about Rey not being a chosen one or special. She’s not the choose one like Anakin or related to the villain like Luke. She’s just someone who got mixed into this adventure she would have never been a part of.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 2/11/2018, 9:36 AM
@DaHyro -

Lazy writers do not understand how to writer strong female characters so they just made Rey a Mary Sue - they will never justify it. They have had two movies now to do so.
DaHyro
DaHyro - 2/11/2018, 9:40 AM
@LEVITIKUZ - I get that TLJ was about her being a "nobody", but she still could be a Chosen One.

The Chosen One is "the central figure in the Jedi prophecy that foretold the coming of a being who would destroy the Sith and restore balance to the Force."

TLJ was about Balance too, and Rey isn't really light or dark. She didn't resist the dark side in that vision of hers,but she was a big reason for Kylo's weakness/light side (by killing Snoke and stuff).

You're likely right, as I'm probably overanalyzing this. A guy can dream though
ElCidJedi
ElCidJedi - 2/11/2018, 10:02 AM
@LEVITIKUZ - you just called Luke the villain... and we already knew that. Anyone can be a Jedi. We saw the prequels. This movie is trash.
MultiMedia996
MultiMedia996 - 2/11/2018, 9:28 AM
"At the end of the day it still a man with a lightsaber and a giant army fighting a small group of rebels with a young inexperienced Jedi who helps them"-Rich Evans, Half in the Bag: The Last last Jedi. I use this quote whenever someone talks about the "Fresh and bold new direction of Star Wars".

I had that problem with The Force Awakens but I've realized just how much worse of a problem it is with The Last Jedi. These two movies have officially killed my interests in new installments of this franchise. We should have gotten Rey's backstory from the start, we should never had the Imperials again as villains, we especially should not have had a shadowy overlord or a Skywalker/Solo turned bad. We should have had a New Jedi Order and a New Republic.

Instead Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson let these guys take over.



I have no interest in seeing any more films at least in theaters.
Elle79
Elle79 - 2/12/2018, 6:57 AM
@MultiMedia996 - Same here. You are 110% correct.
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 2/11/2018, 9:44 AM
No pressure on JJ to clean up he detritus that Rian Johnson left behind.
MultiMedia996
MultiMedia996 - 2/11/2018, 9:48 AM
@GeneralZod - A detritus that JJ himself set up with all of his pointless Mystery Boxes and resetting the Galaxy back to the Original Trilogy complete Stormtroopers, TIE Fighters, Star Destroyers, Shadowy Overlord, Skylwalker/Solo that became evil, young inexperienced force user from a desert planet and so on. They're both responsible along with Kathleen kennedy for killing my interest in this series.
IronGenesis
IronGenesis - 2/11/2018, 9:45 AM
“While Episode IX very much remains a secret.”

Let me take a shot.
Rey wins. Kylo loses.

What do I win?
😂

I mean.

Rey beat him in TFA
Rey beat him in TLJ

You want to sell me K. Kennedy is going to let a Woman LOSE to a white male in the “new” yet still the same Star Wars Univerze?

Oh Lucasfilm...if you only took the time and had a distinct ending to the sequels instead of the fly by the seat of your pants, pass the buck approach.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 2/11/2018, 9:48 AM
@IronGenesis - Rey didn’t beat him in TLJ....

And in TFA, Rey only won because Kylo got shot with Chewbacca’s blaster. The film made the point multiple times to showcase the power of his blaster
TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 2/11/2018, 9:48 AM
@IronGenesis - The hero beating the villain over and over again!? It’s almost like these are movies.
IronGenesis
IronGenesis - 2/11/2018, 10:00 AM
@TheUnworthyThor - Lucas had it right.
Luke the hero and Vader the villain yet Luke wasn’t able to beat Vader until the 3rd movie in.

But if you want to make your Last Stand on the idea that a

5’7 120 lb malnourished person living on polystarch rations with no lightsaber training

Can match skill and muscular strength with

6’2 180lb physically fit and trained since birth swordsman...

I mean...lol...it is the internet and no one will stop you from it. 😂
TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 2/11/2018, 10:15 AM
@IronGenesis - Uh Luke beat Vader in A New Hope.

And it’s a universe where it’s well established that things can happen because the force without much reasoning or explanation. People are just able to do things and things just happen. Luke just happens to crash his X-wing on a planet full of lifeforms right next to Yoda’s home. Little kids are able to not only beat the very pod racers but catch up from being hopelessly behind to do so. There is sort of an inherent dues ex machina aspect of a series that can explain away anything because it is as the Force wills it. But that’s the Star Wars universe. Different ways to use the force were introduced into every movie.

So yeah a skilled fighter that is incredibly strong in the force beating her opposite in the force after he is severely hurt and just killed his own father in a sloppy lightsaber battle makes a lot of sense.
IronGenesis
IronGenesis - 2/11/2018, 10:29 AM
@TheUnworthyThor - but Lucas took the time in the script to establish that Anakin was already a pod racer and his pod racer was significantly faster than the field.

If you are a fan of horse racing Zenyatta was a famous closer female horse. She would be in last place through large portions of the race and then explode later on powering to victory.

Vader the villain was never directly over matched in combat until JEDI. He “beat” Obi-Wan, kicked the not out of Luke in Empire.

I will meet you halfway though. I did buy that Rey was able to tap into the Force and just instinctively be able to not get killed by Kylo. I feel the fight should have been interrupted by the ground splitting in half.

That to me would have been more realistic to the given circumstances and established Universe.

But when she was able to with one arm hold off him own physical push and then carve him up...nope then it became about Kennedy’s goals for Star Wars over telling the story.
ElCidJedi
ElCidJedi - 2/11/2018, 10:27 PM
@IronGenesis - If JJ says that Luke didn't die and just transported himself somewhere... I will be eternally grateful to him. Then Kylo can just kill Rey and Luke can defeat Kylo / lock him up... Luke settles down, get married. has kids... and we can reboot with a SKYWALKER STORY for 10, 11, 12. And forget this nonsense ever happened.

Episode 10 starts... Luke has 3 kids.. Jedi temple is restored on Coruscant. Peace in the galaxy. Kylo escapes... cause trouble. Kills Luke. blah blah blah. story continues.

People who love TLJ will hate this idea... but to me, it would be the greatest thing ever.
Elle79
Elle79 - 2/12/2018, 6:54 AM
@ElCidJedi - I agree - would be infinitely better than what we have gotten so far.
Elle79
Elle79 - 2/12/2018, 6:56 AM
@TheUnworthyThor - My god, the extent to which you will go to try to justify the crap writing and characterization in TLJ is now beyond comedic.
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