J.J. Abrams has been more 'daring' with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

J.J. Abrams took more risks with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker than he did with The Force Awakens.

The filmmaker believes he played it safe with the 2015 instalment, which revived the film franchise after a 10-year hiatus, and he didn't want to repeat that when he was drafted in to replace director Colin Trevorrow for the final episode in the current trilogy.

"I was adhering to a kind of approach that felt right for Star Wars in my head. It was about finding a visual language, like shooting on locations and doing practical things as much as possible," Abrams told Total Film magazine. "And we continue that in Episode 9 (The Rise of Skywalker), but I also found myself doing things that I'm not sure I would have been as daring to do on Episode 7."

He also said he had taken inspiration from Rian Johnson, who directed 2017's The Last Jedi, and wanted to create something that would honour the legacy of the iconic sci-fi saga.

"Rian helped remind me that that's why we're on these movies - not to just do something that you've seen before," Abrams explained. "I won't say that I felt constrained or limited on 7, but I found myself wanting to do something that felt more consistent with the original trilogy than not. And on 9, I found myself feeling like I'm just gonna go for it a bit more."

While it was lauded by critics, The Last Jedi proved to be divisive among Star Wars fans, with some even creating a petition to have the film remade.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac, is released in cinemas from 18 December.