Now that Disney has set Gareth Edwards' Star Wars: Rogue One for 2016 and confirmed a May 2017 date for Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII, plans for the biggest franchise in the known galaxy are taking shape. But does J.J. Abrams have a part to play in those plans beyond Star Wars: The Force Awakens? As it stands right now he's one and done, but a new rumor surfacing at Latino Review suggests a return could be in the works.
The report goes on to say that Disney are pleased with what Abrams has done on 'The Force Awakens' and there is a "good chance" he comes back to end the trilogy with Star Wars: Episode IX. Abrams had his share of battles with Disney and Lucasfilm that could cloud matters a little. A request to move his film to May 2016 was denied, and he wasn't the biggest fan of dropping a teaser trailer so early. A bigger issue may be his desire to move on and tackle other projects outside of the blockbuster sci-fi realm. Between Star Wars and two Star Trek films he's been in this genre for a long time.
It would also be interesting to see Abrams return when Rian Johnson is reportedly writing the 'Episode IX' screenplay. That would seemingly give Johnson a leg up on directing it, as well, but maybe Disney are waiting to see how he does on 'Episode VIII' first.
