Did ‘The Last Jedi’ change 'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker'? Here’s what J.J. Abrams says

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker’s co-writer and director J.J. Abrams has opened up about the impact of The Last Jedi, insisting that Rian Johnson’s take on the franchise didn’t have an impact on the story he wanted to tell with the final installment to the Skywalker saga.

“The story that we're telling, the story that we started to conceive when we did The Force Awakens was allowed to continue. Episode VIII didn't really derail anything that we were thinking about."

Read More: The Star Wars 'Kenobi' series will take place eight years after 'Revenge of the Sith'

As well as making the above comments to ET Canada, Abrams spent most of the D23 Expo teasing various other details of the upcoming blockbuster.

One of the most tantalising aspects of The Rise Of Skywalker is the return of Emperor Palpatine, and during his discussion with MTV Abrams was asked about the character’s involvement and whether he is the true villain.

“I will say that that's part of what the story is, and also, I will say that with the Emperor around, he's not going to be your, you know, the cuddly pal. I can't wait for you to see how that plays out, but he's in the poster for a reason.”

Read more: Ewan McGregor confirms Kenobi series

Of course, Abrams was very careful about not revealing too much about The Rise Of Skywalker, so when he was then asked whether or not Kylo Ren is beyond redemption he instead decided to focus on Adam Driver’s acting abilities.

“I will say that with an actor like Adam Driver, you can never limit what that man can do. I will say, without talking about redemption or not, that he is mind-blowing in this. He’s brought a whole other level to this, so I can’t wait to see what happens with him.”

All of the secrets regarding Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker will finally be revealed when it is released on December 19.