Director Colin Trevorrow, who had been attached to helm Rogue One (which was a critical and financial hit), went through extensive reshoots that saw filmmaker Tony Gilroy come in to oversee the additional photography. While that drama seemed like a big deal at the time, it was nothing compared to what the studio has endured this year.
Back in June, if his future with Star Wars would be in doubt. While Trevorrow remained very enthusiastic about the opportunity, it has now been revealed he is stepping down.
In a statement, it was said Lucasfilm and Trevorrow have mutually agreed to part ways since their "visions for the project differ." They mentioned more information about Episode IX will be revealed soon. Currently, the plan is for the film scheduled May 2019 release date. The studio will have to move quickly to find a replacement to stay on track, but odds are they have some names lined up for the job. After all, Ron Howard swiftly replaced Lord and Miller on Han Solo, so it shouldn't be a long search to find someone new for Episode IX.
During his time onboard, Trevorrow wasJack Thorne being hired in August to rewrite the screenplay. Sources told the outlet Trevorrow's relationship with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had become "unmanageable." After the Han Solo fiasco, Kennedy apparently "tried to avoid this decision," but the parties could not agree on the right direction for Star Wars 9. Fortunately, there are still five months left until principal photography, so it isn't as dire a situation.
It will be interesting to see who Lucasfilm gets to step in, as an argument can be made recent developments may turn directors off from entering the Star Wars universe. One logical option on the table is Rian Johnson, who is coming off a great experience directing on another Star Wars film in a heartbeat, so there's definite interest there. Given how much the cast loved Johnson's screenplay and approach to the franchise, he seems like a natural fit to conclude the story he is continuing this holiday season.
