Star Wars: J.J. Abrams Confesses He Is Definitely Done With the Franchise

Star Wars fans know that “I know” is a perfectly appropriate response to the love of your life pouring their heart out to you, but what they don’t know is that it also anchors J.J. Abrams’s “this time I mean it” departure from the beloved film franchise. With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hitting theaters soon, the filmmaker behind The Force Awakens will not only close the book on the Skywalker saga, but also on his relationship with Disney — at least for the time being. Besides feeling that he’s ready to walk away for realsies this time, Abrams’s Bad Robot has inked a five-year exclusive deal with Warner Bros., who probably would rather he did not go work for a hugely-profitable franchise somewhere else.

After all, persistent rumors suggest that Warners is interested in finally getting Abrams that Superman movie he wanted years ago. With a moviegoing public still divided on the Zack Snyder DC movies, that brand will need some TLC to stick the landing, box office-wise. And even if they don’t end up putting Abrams on a Superman movie, the filmmaker will be helping to develop new projects for the HBO Max app, Warners’ version of Disney+.

“This crew, this cast have been the most amazing I’ve ever known and so I feel very lucky to have gotten to come back, and sad that I won’t be working with them anymore,” Abrams said of Star Wars. After joking around with the reporter, who insisted on pursuing the question, Abrams told Variety that “this time, I know” that he’s done and “I can feel it.”

Fans won’t have to wait too long to find out whether or not Abrams stuck the landing.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher.

Are you excited about the end of the decades-long Skywalker Saga? Let us know how you feel about it in the comments. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters on December 20th.

Star Wars is also headed to the Disney+ streaming service. The Mandalorian is now streaming on DIsney+. A show following Obi-Wan Kenobi is in the works, with Ewan MacGregor returning to the role. A series about Rogue One‘s Cassian Andor is also in development.