Star Wars: Episode IX Actor Domhnall Gleeson Says J.J. Abrams’ Return Is Epic

With Star Wars: Episode IX, J.J. Abrams is coming full circle.

Having helped reinstate Lucasfilm’s beloved franchise at the tip-top of the box office charts in 2015 with The Force Awakens, Abrams became the man of the hour almost 12 months ago, when he replaced the ousted Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) at the helm of Episode IX.

He’ll be developing the untitled sequel alongside Justice League scribe Chris Terrio, and with filming already underway in the United Kingdom, it’s fair to say that Episode IX is beginning to coalesce ahead of its planned release in December of 2019.

Exactly what Abrams and Terrio have planned for the final installment of the Skywalker Saga is a total mystery at this point, but Domhnall Gleeson, for one, hailed the director’s “epic” return to Star Wars while promoting his latest film, The Little Stranger.

Via Variety:

Domhnall Gleeson is filming #StarWarsEpisodeIX. Says JJ Abrams’ return will be “epic” #TheLittleStranger pic.twitter.com/0RWOsmNGcY

— Brent Lang (@BrentALang) August 16, 2018

Gleeson naturally played coy when asked to elaborate, and it’s fair to say that this isn’t the first time an actor has championed their director while speaking to the press.

Nevertheless, we know the Irish star is all set to reprise the role of General Armitage Hux, one of Snoke’s sneering subordinates who will be hoping to seize control of the power vacuum that’s opened up in the wake of The Last Jedi. He’ll still have to contend with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), of course, and we imagine their fiery power struggle will spill over into Star Wars: Episode IX when it descends into theaters next Christmas.

December 20th, 2019, to be specific, which means there are exactly 490 days before we’ve back reveling in that galaxy far, far away. Not that we’re counting down the days or anything…