J.J. Abrams joined in on CBS's talk show block Wednesday night, and thankfully, he chose Stephen Colbert over the largely unwatchable James Corden.
Naturally, the topic of burgeoning indie franchise Star Wars was broached. As previously announced, Abrams—who previously helmed The Force Awakens back in 2015—will be directing the upcoming Episode IX. Asked to describe what his younger self would say to his current self if told he had landed multiple Star Wars movies, Abrams said he wouldn't buy it. "I'd think it was some creepy dude with a beard who was just lying to me," Abrams said. "I'd be, like, 'get away.' I would never believe it in a million years...I was eight when I started making movies, 10 when I saw Star Wars."
For The Force Awakens, which kicked off the post-Lucas chapter of the franchise, Abrams was understandably scared but ultimately overjoyed by the experience. "I was terrified and luckily was surrounded by incredible people and we had a lot of fun," he said. "Being back for Episode IX is as surreal as it gets and really exciting."
As for that terror, Colbert revealed it was quite palpable for Abrams even days before The Force Awakens's release. Apparently, Abrams called up Colbert when he was in New York City and asked if he could come by and consume alcohol at his office. "You came to my office and I poured us two glasses of Jameson and you said 'I don't know, man, I don't know,'" Colbert recalled.
Though Abrams declined to offer any details on Episode IX (including whether he intends to take similarly rewarding risks as Rian Johnson did with Last Jedi), he did confirm that a script has been completed, which isn't always a guarantee for an Abrams production. "We have a script, which is a big deal for me," he said. "It starts shooting at the end of July. Having a script in advance is something I haven't always been lucky enough to have. I'm writing this with Chris Terrio, who's a genius, and I'm having a great time."
The untitled Star Wars entry in question is out Dec. 20, 2019.
