Major Star Wars news was announced Saturday at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, California- Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) has been selected to direct Episode IX. Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn announced the news. The news comes on the heels of Trevorrow’s record-breaking smash reboot Jurassic World. The sequel/reboot to Steven Spielberg’s beloved 1993 dino-classic has since earned north of $1 billion at the worldwide box office and is currently the top grossing film of the year. Trevorrow previously directed the 2012 indie Safety Not Guaranteed.
While the D23 crowd was likely hoping for more footage or a major announcement for December’s Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, this certainly still counts as breaking news. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy expressed in a comment, “Colin is someone I’ve been interested in working with ever since I saw Safety Not Guaranteed,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “The power of that film paired with the enormous success of Jurassic World speaks volumes about his abilities both as a storyteller and skilled filmmaker. We are thrilled to have such an incredible talent as Colin join our family and step into the Star Wars universe.”
Trevorrow commented, “This is not a job or an assignment. It is a seat at a campfire, surrounded by an extraordinary group of storytellers, filmmakers, artists and craftspeople. We’ve been charged with telling new stories for a younger generation because they deserve what we all had—a mythology to call their own. We will do this by channeling something George Lucas instilled in all of us: boundless creativity, pure invention and hope.”
While Trevorrow appears set to venture to a galaxy far, far away, the writer/director isn’t quite abandoning his other franchise. Trevorrow, along with Jurassic World and Safety Not Guaranteed scribe Derek Connolly, will pen the screenplay for the upcoming sequel. The Jurassic World sequel already has a release date set for June 22, 2018.
Production isn’t scheduled to start for some time, however Trevorrow will begin working with artists over at Lucasfilm as well as collaborating with the other directors of the revamped series. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens will be directed by J.J. Abrams while Rian Johnson (Looper) will helm Star Wars: Episode VII. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) is currently in production on the spin-off feature Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One starring Oscar nominee Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything).
In the meantime, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens will hit theaters on December 18, 2015.
Leave a Comment