Mere days before May the 4th, a major disturbance in the force has emerged. (And definitely not in a good way.) Previously, ‘Chronicle’ director Josh Trank was all set to direct the second ‘Star Wars Anthology’ film, which follows Gareth Edwards’ ‘Rogue One.’ However, it appears that the filmmaker has departed the project in favor of different endeavors.
In an announcement made on StarWars.com, Lucasfilm has announced that Trank will no longer be helming the second highly anticipated spinoff to the beloved sci-fi fantasy franchise. Along with that shocking news, Trank issued a statement addressing his current state of mind and why he chose to depart:
“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.”
While it sounds like he made the personal decision to leave, The Hollywood Reporter is saying that the decision was actually made by a higher power. After working with him on ‘Fantastic Four’, producer Simon Kinberg “was getting cold feet about working with Trank again”. Paired with the rumors that Fox is unhappy with the director’s performance on the upcoming Marvel reboot and other reports saying that instead of having the flu, Disney actually did not invite Trank to attend the recent Star Wars Celebration, Kinberg’s word may have swayed Disney and Lucasfilm’s decision to part ways with Trank.
This story is still developing and more information is likely to come out regarding this news, so stay tuned to ScienceFiction.com for the latest. Until then, let us know how you feel in the comments below.
