'Star Wars: Episode 9' Release Date, Latest News: Rian Johnson to Replace Colin Trevorrow?
Colin Trevorrow will no longer direct "Star Wars: Episode 9." Following his departure, Rian Johnson's name emerged as Trevorrow's most likely replacement.
Johnson is allegedly on the top of the short list of directors, according to Deadline. The news comes barely hours after Trevorrow's exit came out in the press.
Johnson's potential takeover could work for the seamless continuation of the franchise as he's already familiar with the story. After all, he is the director of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," also known as "Star Wars: Episode 8," which will be in theaters this December.
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Johnson and Trevorrow were actually working closely together in the last few months so that there will be proper transition of "Star Wars 8 and 9" on the big screen.
Trevorrow's departure as "Star Wars: Episode 8" director was officially announced on the Star Wars website. The brief statement cited that the decision was mutually agreed upon by the director and Lucasfilm.
Sources, however, told a different story The Hollywood Reporter. The implication was that Trevorrow dropped out of "Star Wars: Episode 9" due to script issues and conflicts with Lucasfilm's executive Kathleen Kennedy.
When Trevorrow's attachment to "Star Wars: Episode 9" was first announced in 2015, fans casted their doubts. Fueling the apprehension was the mostly negative reviews of the director's recent movie, "The Book of Henry," which earned a 22 percent rating out of 110 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.
Lucasfilm hired Trevorrow immediately following the box office success of "Jurassic World," his fourth movie and first blockbuster. Observers, however, said that he's not yet ripe to carry on a well-established franchise film with huge fan base.
"Star Wars: Episode 9" has a January 2018 filming schedule. It's earmarked for a May 2019 run in theaters. But with these developments happening behind the scenes, it's not yet certain if Lucasfilm will stick with its filming schedule or movie release date.
