My prediction:
Rian Johnson 50%
Other 30%
JJ Abrams 20%If it were up to me, I’d ask Dave Filoni to write/direct.
I’ve been wondering about that. In a way, Rian Johnson is probably much closer to IX than just about any other pick could be (save people like Kasdan etc), and he’d be capable of picking up the pieces much faster than anyone else. He clearly has considered a follow-up as well, seeing as he wrote a treatment for IX at some point. Question is, how developed those ideas are, and whether he’d be interested in what effectively is a rush job. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’d shoot without a script, heavy preparation, or without consideration in regard to his storytelling. Which is the reason his films are as good as theya are, and one of the primary reasons why you’d want him to helm this project: he’s got the best kind of filmmaking clout possible right now. It just might not be feasible on this timeframe.
JJ wouldn’t mind as much for sure as he’s not a storyteller - he makes things go ‘boom’ in-between some talky bits.
Whatever the ultimate choice ends up being Rian Johnson’s probably having some REALLY interesting conversations with LucasFilm right now.