'We're not screwing around': JJ Abrams says 'Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker' will be satisfying ending

JJ Abrams has said he is “not screwing around” in bringing the Skywalker Saga to an end after more than 40 years, stating that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker must have a satisfying, definitive ending.

The filmmaker, who is returning to the franchise after helming 2015 comeback tale The Force Awakens, has promised that he and his team are taking responsibility for the huge task of providing a culmination to the big screen saga.

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Abrams has co-written the film with Oscar-winning Argo scribe Chris Terrio and acknowledges that the ending “needs to satisfy” in order to send audiences home happy.

The 53-year-old told EW: “This is about bringing this thing to a close in a way that is emotional and meaningful and also satisfying in terms of actually answering [as many] questions as possible.”

Abrams’ return to the franchise comes after Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow was removed from the project and follows Rian Johnson’s divisive 2017 sequel The Last Jedi.

The director has previously said he has no desire to retcon or alter Johnson’s storytelling choices, but the film will answer some dangling questions about the characters.

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“We were very much aware this is the end of the trilogy and it needs to satisfy,” Abrams added.

“We went into this thing knowing it has to be an ending. We’re not screwing around.”

Daisy Ridley will return as Rey for the third time, alongside co-stars John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, with Adam Driver back as the villainous Kylo Ren.

Although this film is due to mark the end of the main Skywalker Saga, there are other Star Wars projects incoming and in development.

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Most notably, The Mandalorian is set to be one of the centrepiece TV series on Disney+ when the streaming service launches and there is also a series in the pipeline in which Ewan McGregor will return as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is due for release in UK cinemas on 19 December.