Last month at Star Wars Celebration fans of the franchise were treated to a weekend of unparalleled festivities. Most of the cast of The Force Awakens addressed the crowd, while Disney and Lucasfilm premiered all sorts of Star Wars media including the new trailer for Battlefront, The Force Awakens, the second season of Star Wars Rebels, and a preview of the first scheduled spin-off, Star Wars: Rogue One to be directed by Gareth Edwards. All of the directors of the upcoming installments attended the convention, with the exception of Josh Trank, who was believed to have had the flu. Many scratched their heads in confusion at the time, but it was quickly swept under the rug.
It seems that there was much more to this story as Trank has officially dropped out as the director of the second Star Wars Anthology film. Today on StarWars.com Trank offered his official resignation to fans and here is what he had to say:
“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.”
Regardless, of his intentions and the details of what really happened, critics will point to the rumors of discontent on the set of the Fantastic Four. His departure does feel rather convenient particularly after his absence at the Celebration and amid all the negative speculation that had been brewing for his upcoming Marvel Comics’ adaptation. Or perhaps, the very same fanboy venom that has been aimed in his direction during that production, has soured him on directing Star Wars, which is an even larger franchise. If he directs his own “original creative opportunities,” he won’t have to deal with the intense scrutiny that he has already experienced on both a fan and studio level.
The next issue is what will happen with this second installment of the Star Wars Anthology series. In the press release, LucasFilm assures that the “Star Wars team is continuing to develop the project.” It is safe to assume that they will keep Simon Kinberg on board as the writer and pair him with a director that may be a better fit with his vision. It is curious that they aren’t leaving as a team, since they have been working closely together on the Fantastic Four. Surely the details on this will come out in a documentary or book in years to come.
We will be closely tracking who will be up to direct this next episode of the Star Wars Anthology series. What do you think of Trank’s departure? Let us know on , , , and Reddit! Make sure to share our stories on your favorite social media by clicking below.
Source: Star Wars