One “Star Wars” film is in need of a director once again. Josh Trank has left the untitled spinoff film he had been set to direct, Lucasfilm announced Friday.
“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,” the director said in a statement. “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.”
“”It was a privilege to collaborate with Josh,” said Lucasfilm VP of Developmet Kiri Hart in a statment. “We are grateful for the energy and love of Star Wars that he brought to the process, and we wish him all the best.”
Speculation had been rampant there might be trouble with Trank’s project when he bowed out from a scheduled appearance at Star Wars Celebration Day at the last minute. He had been confirmed to sit on a panel with Gareth Edwards, who’s directing the other announced “Star Wars” spinoff, titled “Rogue One.”
“Rogue One” is shooting this summer, with Felicity Jones and Ben Mendelssohn set to star.
Trank is gearing up to premiere “Fantastic Four,” while rumors had persisted there had been trouble on that Fox Marvel comic book adaptation as well.
Starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell, the new “Fantastic Four” will be released July 30.