Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn took the stage at D23 on Saturday and announced that Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow is on the books to direct Star Wars: Episode IX for Lucasfilm and Disney. Trevorrow joins Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams and Star Wars: Episode XIII director Rian Johnson to round out a trio of young visionaries responsible for bringing the new Star Wars trilogy to life.
Trevorrow’s involvement first broke over a month ago when El Mayimbe at Heroic Hollywood reported the director’s recent statement that he would not be involved in Jurassic World 2 was a direct result of his recruitment into the Lucasfilm family. Though production is still a couple years away, Trevorrow will begin work on Star Wars: Episode IX with his artists and the other Star Wars storytellers this year to get the ball rolling early.
“This is not a job or an assignment,” offered Trevorrow in the official announcement. “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.”
“Colin is someone I’ve been interested in working with ever since I saw Safety Not Guaranteed,” added 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.”
Don’t get too excited for Star Wars: Episode IX just yet. Cameras won’t roll until late 2017 at the earliest while the film won’t grace the big screen until 2019.
Source: Star Wars
