by Justin Cook
Director Josh Trank, who was previously set to helm the second film in the Star Wars Anthology series, has officially left the project.
Trank had been attached to the project for nearly a year, and wrote the following about his departure:
“After a year of having the incredible honor of developing with the wonderful and talented people at Lucasfilm, I’m making a personal decision to move forward on a different path. I’ve put a tremendous amount of thought into this, and I know deep down in my heart that I want to pursue some original creative opportunities. That said, the Star Wars universe has always been one of my biggest influences, and I couldn’t be more excited to witness its future alongside my millions of fellow Star Wars fans. I want to thank my friends Kathleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart, Simon Kinberg, and everyone at Lucasfilm and Disney for the amazing opportunity to have been a part of this. May the Force be with you all.”
Some fans became suspicious that not all was right with Trank and Lucasfilm’s relationship when he failed to show up for the Star Wars spinoff panel at Star Wars Celebration 2015. Although Trank said in a tweet that he didn’t attend because he had a flu, sources are saying that Trank was asked to not come to the event by executives at Disney.
Kiri Hart, Lucasfilm VP of Development said “It was a privilege to collaborate with Josh. We are grateful for the energy and love of Star Wars that he brought to the process, and we wish him all the best.”
Trank’s next directorial effort will be Fox’s Fantastic Four, a film being released this summer on August 7. The film will star Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell and Reg E. Cathey.
There has also been word that Trank did a poor job directing Fantastic Four, which led to him getting fired by Disney, but this is just a rumor at the time.
The spinoff film Trank was going to direct will still remain in development at Disney. They are also expected to announce the film’s new director very soon.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which is being directed by JJ Abrams, will be released later this year on December 18, while Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One, which has Gareth Edwards at the helm, is set for a December 16, 2016 release date.
Source: Star Wars
