Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams admits he likes challenges but unfortunately confessed that he most likely won’t helm any future Star Wars films.
“It was a wonderful way to visit a place that meant so much to me and obviously so many,” Abrams said in an interview with Fortune at South by Southwest. “I knew that if it worked, it was the perfect time to step down – and if it didn’t, no one would want me to do it anyway.”
Abrams remains executive producer of Star Wars: Episode VIII, which began production in Feb., and IX. And says he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m very happy to be where I am,” he says. “Rian Johnson [director of Episode Eight] is brilliant and needs no help from me. As executive producer, I’ve been collaborating with them, but they are obviously doing all of the heavy lifting and it’s very exciting to see what’s going on.”
Abrams also recently revealed he welcomes more diversity in the Star Wars franchise, including gay characters.
“When I talk about inclusivity, it’s not excluding gay characters, it’s about inclusivity,” Abrams told the press at the Oscar Wilde Awards in February. “To me the fun of Star Wars is exploring the possibilities, so it seems insanely narrow-minded to say that there wouldn’t be a homosexual character in that world.”
Abrams is currently executive producing HBO’s sci-fi Western Westworld, a reboot of 1973 original film. Michael Crichton directed the original film, which has now become a cult classic.
“Westworld is one of those things I’ve wanted to work on for so long,” Abrams said. “I had a meeting probably 21 years ago with Michael Crichton about doing this. And it’s taken along time to get this going. At the heart of Westworld is this story of consciousness and oppression and discover. It’s one of the projects I feel most grateful and lucky to be a part of.”
