J.J. Abrams suggests Star Wars sequel trilogy needed more planning

J.J. Abrams has suggested that the 'Star Wars' sequel trilogy was harmed by a lack of planning.

The 54-year-old director helmed the trilogy's first and last movies in the form of 'The Force Awakens' and 'The Rise of Skywalker', with Rian Johnson directing 'The Last Jedi', and hinted that experiences from his career have taught him to approach projects with a clear plan in place, even if elements of the story have to be changed.

Abrams said: "I've been involved in a number of projects that have been – in most cases, series – that have ideas that begin the thing where you feel like you know where it's gonna go, and sometimes it's an actor who comes in, other times it's a relationship that as-written doesn't quite work, and things that you think are gonna just be so well-received just crash and burn and other things that you just think like, 'Oh that's a small moment or 'That's a one-episode character' suddenly become a hugely important part of the story."

The 'Star Trek' filmmaker also opened up on how writing during the coronavirus crisis had reinforced the importance of preparing for the unexpected on a movie.

Speaking to the website Collider, Abrams said: "I feel like what I've learned as a lesson a few times now, and it's something that especially in this pandemic year working with writers (has become clear), the lesson is that you have to plan things as best you can, and you always need to be able to respond to the unexpected.

"And the unexpected can come in all sorts of forms, and I do think that there's nothing more important than knowing where you're going."