After the reveal last week of who exactly the Last Jedi is (spoilers on this link), there is some more Star Wars news for fans, not all of it good. First up the bad news, as Star Wars: Episode IX’s release has been delayed by seven months. Now schedule for debut on 20 December 2019, the news came after the departure of the original director, Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) left the project earlier this month. Here the tweet from the official Star Wars account:

Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled for release on December 20,  2019. pic.twitter.com/rDBqmuHX89

— Star Wars (@starwars) September 12, 2017

The other, perhaps good news, is that J.J. Abrams has signed on to direct. Abrams is the right choice, at least in our books, to get Episode IX back on track. With The Force Awakens under his belt, and the Star Trek reboot, Abrams might not open up a vast new directorial direction, but you know you’re going to get a solid flick. Having said that, Rogue One showed us what can be done, so it’s up to Abrams to lift the franchise.

J.J. Abrams to write and direct Star Wars Episode IX. https://t.co/aVF8UWaK0e pic.twitter.com/YrjgZZNxUx

— Star Wars (@starwars) September 12, 2017

All has not been well in the Star Wars empire. Not just due to Trevorrow’s wave goodbye, but also directing team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller leaving next year’s young Han Solo spinoff movie. With Abrams onboard on IX, and old hand Ron Howard grafting on Han Solo, it seems like there’s no more messing about, leaving us with, dare we say, a new hope?