The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams has opened up about his decision to bring back the Knights of Ren for Episode IX, saying he felt they deserved more screen time in the Star Wars universe.
In an interview with Esquire, Abrams admitted that he had a lot of ideas for the elusive group of masked warriors after their brief introduction in The Force Awakens, so he wanted to expand on their story while he still had the opportunity.
Source: IGN.com Rise of Skywalker: JJ Abrams Explains Why the Knights of Ren Are Back