Colin Trevorrow is no longer directing Star Wars: Episode IX. The announcement came from Lucasfilm. This ends a trend of Disney and Lucasfilm hiring young, talented filmmakers with differing levels of experience. A few directors are lined up to take over, but Lucasfilm has not said who is on the list.
The announcement about Trevorrow’s departure came via StarWars.com, and cites differing visions on what the film should actually be:
Lucasfilm and Colin Trevorrow have mutually chosen to part ways on Star Wars: Episode IX. Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ. We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon.
Rumors and Trevorrow’s departure began earlier this summer. His recent film The Book of Henry tanked at the box office. Star Wars fans immediately showed their dislike of the director. They ignored the fact that he has made two wonderful films, Jurassic World and Safety Not Guaranteed.
The Hollywood Reporter follows up the Lucasfilm announcement with reports that say the tensions between the director and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy couldn’t be overcome:
“that script issues have continued to be the continuing sore spot with Episode IX’s development with Trevorrow having had repeated stabs at multiple drafts. Sources say that the working relationship between Trevorrow and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy became unmanageable. Kennedy, who had already been through one director firing/replacement on the Han Solo spin-off, was not eager for a sequel and tried to avoid this decision.”
Lucasfilm looks like they are shift to a more conservative approach with their future directors. The recent placement of Ron Howard for Lord and Miller on the Han Solo film is an example of this. Gareth Edwards finished Rogue One, but there were numerous reshoots and Tony Gilroy took over towards the end of production.
New reports cite that Stephen Daldry is a potential candidate to direct the Obi-Wan Kenobi movie. He is a safe choice for the studio, although he is not officially on-board as of yet. Lucasfilm should reveal the shortlist of . Some fans are even calling to give J.J. Abrams another shot at the franchise, while Deadline suggests that the job will go to The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson (Looper).
Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled for release May 24, 2019.
