It was director J.J. Abrams himself who decided to pass on directorial duties for "Star Wars Episode VIII" to his good friend Rian Johnson. But even though it was a personal decision to let go of the franchise, Abrams cannot help but feel jealous of all the fun Johnson will have directing the eighth installment.
"I think that my enthusiasm for VIII is enormous... I'm very excited for it and jealous of anyone, especially Rian, who gets to work so closely with this extraordinary cast and crew. Truly an amazing group," he said, according to Collider. "In that regard, for sure. But honestly, I'm also relieved to have gotten the chance to make a Star Wars movie."
Despite being hands off on "Star Wars Episode VIII," people are still relentless about getting information about it, especially concerning Rey's lineage. Abrams refused to give out any spoilers in order to preserve the integrity of the franchise.
"I know quite a bit, but obviously, it's not for me to talk about in this moment because this is Rian [Johnson]'s story now and the last thing I want to do is reveal something he'll get upset about," he said.
The director cannot stop gushing about the success of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and he is simply thrilled that the new characters they introduced are so well-received that people are probably going to dress up as them come Halloween.
"I'm just incredibly relieved that the movie's out and it was well received. I'm more excited when I hear that people went with their parents, who took them to the original movie when they were kids, or took their own kids who maybe never saw a Star Wars movie and who fell in love with Rey or found Finn to be someone they want to be for Halloween," he said. "Those kind of stories are frankly infinitely more impactful and gratifying than the numbers, which are wonderful and I'm very grateful everyone went to see the film, but it's most exciting to hear that people actually went and had an experience."
Before the interview wrapped up, someone asked Abrams why he decided to kill Harrison Ford (Han Solo) in the movie.
The director jokingly clarified: "First of all, I didn't kill Harrison Ford. Just for the record, but we knew we needed to do something that was bold and maybe unexpected."
