<P> The Star Wars sequel trilogy is the third film trilogy in the Star Wars American space opera franchise, created by George Lucas . It is being produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures . The trilogy is to consist of episodes VII through IX and chronologically follows Return of the Jedi (1983) in the saga . Lucas originally planned a sequel trilogy in the mid-1970s, but had abandoned these plans by the late 1990s . The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm in late 2012 and then announced the production of a sequel trilogy . </P> <P> The first installment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was released on December 18, 2015 in the U.S., following a special premiere screening in Los Angeles on December 14 . The film is directed by J.J. Abrams who cowrote the screenplay with Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt . Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and other main cast members from the original trilogy returned to reprise their roles and co-star alongside Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac . </P> <P> Unlike the previous two trilogies, whose films were released approximately three years apart, the sequel films are planned to be released two years apart . Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set for release on December 15, 2017, with Rian Johnson as screenwriter and director . Episode IX was to be directed by Colin Trevorrow; however, in September 2017, Lucasfilm announced that Trevorrow had departed from the project, and shortly after announced that Abrams would return to direct the film and co-write it with Chris Terrio . The film is scheduled to be released on December 20, 2019 . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Film </Th> <Th> U.S. release date </Th> <Th> Director (s) </Th> <Th> Screenwriter (s) </Th> <Th> Producer (s) </Th> <Th> Status </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Star Wars: The Force Awakens </Th> <Td> December 18, 2015 (2015 - 12 - 18) </Td> <Td> J.J. Abrams </Td> <Td> Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams </Td> <Td> Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk </Td> <Td> Released </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Star Wars: The Last Jedi </Th> <Td> December 15, 2017 (2017 - 12 - 15) </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> Rian Johnson </Td> <Td> Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman </Td> <Td> Completed; not yet released </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Star Wars: Episode IX </Th> <Td> December 20, 2019 (2019 - 12 - 20) </Td> <Td> J.J. Abrams </Td> <Td> J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio </Td> <Td> Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Michelle Rejwan </Td> <Td> In development </Td> </Tr> </Table>

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