'Star Wars' director leaves over creative differences
September 6, 2017
US director Colin Trevorrow, known for the 2015 blockbuster "Jurassic World," is no longer at the helm of "Star Wars: Episode IX," the film's production company Lucasfilm announced on Tuesday.
Speculation that Trevorrow, 40, might leave had been circulating since his summer release "The Book of Henry" flopped despite a strong cast led by Naomi Watts.
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"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," wrote Lucasfilm in a statement. "We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon."
A replacement for Trevorrow has not yet been named. The film is a follow-up to "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," which is directed by Rian Johnson and due out in December 2017. It completes the franchise's third trilogy, which began with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," directed by JJ Abrams.
Third director to go
Trevorrow is not the first "Star Wars" director to part ways with Lucasfilm.
In June, the production company sacked directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("21 Jump Street," "The Lego Movie") just weeks before they completed the bulk of the photography for an upcoming Han Solo spinoff film. The pair was replaced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard.
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Despite his summer flop, Trevorrow will likely be seen as hot property now that he is available for new projects - thanks to Universal's "Jurassic World," which became the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time.
News of the decision sparked a frenzy of speculation on social media over who might be handed Trevorrow's job.
While some Twitter users felt a women should take the held, other suggested replacements included British filmmaker Christopher Nolan ("Inception," "Dunkirk"), "Batman vs. Superman" director Zack Snyder and enigmatic "Twin Peaks" director David Lynch, who turned down "Return of the Jedi" in 1983.
rb/kbm (AFP, Reuters)