The final installment, The Rise of Skywalker, was released on December 20, 2019. The trilogy's second installment, The Last Jedi, was released on December 15, 2017, with Rian Johnson as screenwriter and director, and most of the cast returning. Original trilogy cast members including Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher reprised their roles, co-starring alongside franchise newcomers Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac.
Abrams who co-wrote the screenplay with Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt.
The first installment, The Force Awakens, was released on December 18, 2015. Both the acquisition and plans to produce the trilogy were announced in late 2012. Lucas produced new story treatments, but these were largely discarded. The sequel trilogy concept was revived when The Walt Disney Company entered negotiations to acquire Lucasfilm in mid-2011. He ended up producing only the first six episodes and for a time described these as comprising the complete story. Lucas had planned a sequel trilogy as early as 1976, but canceled it by 1981. The trilogy consists of episodes VII through IX, chronologically following the prequel trilogy ( Episodes I– III 1999–2005) and the original trilogy ( Episodes IV– VI 1977–1983), serving as the final act of the " Skywalker saga". and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The Star Wars sequel trilogy is the third trilogy of the main Star Wars franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas.