The Rise of Skywalker reshoots have been in the news a lot in recent weeks}. Director J.J. Abrams is doing his very best to squash concerns fans might have about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. For one, certain fans are worried this may be something of a rehash, given that The Force Awakens, which Abrams also directed, was reminiscent of A New Hope in many ways. There's also the matter of the trailers possibly giving a bit too much away. In both cases, Abrams is here to reassure us that this isn't going to be a problem this time around.

With the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker just a month away, the marketing is starting to ramp up. During a recent interview, J.J. Abrams reveals that he felt much more comfortable this time around than he did on The Force Awakens. There were fewer reshoots and story adjustments, which would seem to be a good sign. But Abrams, perhaps most importantly, promises the finale to this trilogy is far more ambitious. Here's what he had to say about it.

"We had more reshoots on Episode VII than this one. We had more story adjustments on VII than this one. We didn't know if these characters would work, if the actors would be able to carry a Star Wars movie. There were a lot of things we didn't know. On this, we knew who and what worked, and everyone is doing the best work I've ever seen anyone do. But the ambition of this movie is far greater than Force Awakens. What we set out to do was far more challenging. Everything is exponentially larger on this."

This echoes previous comments made by J.J. Abrams. Many suspected that the filmmaker would shift course, given the mixed response to The Last Jedi. As the director tells it, Rian Johnson's risk-taking encouraged J.J. Abrams to be more bold with Episode IX. Whether or not that is for better or for worse remains to be seen, but just don't expect to see a rehash of Return of the Jedi.

Another concern, and one not limited to Star Wars, is that the trailers and marketing might give away too much. We've already glimpsed Palpatine's return, Dark Rey and a whole bunch of big set pieces. It feels like a lot. But Abrams promises this is just a tiny taste of what's coming our way.

"The [trailers] that have come out are scratching the surface of what the movie is."

When pressed and asked specifically if there are any major action sequences we haven't seen any footage from, Abrams replied simply, "Yes." It is a tough task to conclude a nine-movie saga that has been going for more than four decades, especially one as beloved as this. Be that as it may, J.J. Abrams is saying the right things. We'll have to see if those risks pay off when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20. This news comes to us via Entertainment Weekly.