Star Wars 9: Colin Trevorrow to Direct Trilogy Capper

Back in July, a report surfaced that filmmaker Colin Trevorrow—fresh off the $1.4 billion and counting success of Jurassic World—would be announced as the director of Star Wars: Episode IX. Indeed, during the Lucasfilm panel at Comic-Con this evening, Trevorrow took the stage as he was announced as the filmmaker that will be taking the reigns of the third film in the new Star Wars trilogy.

Under the direction of new president Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm has wasted no time in putting together a series of new Star Wars films with an eclectic group of filmmakers at the helm. J.J. Abrams kicks things off with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rian Johnson (Looper) is writing and directing Star Wars: Episode VIII, Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) is at the helm of the first Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One, and we learned earlier this week that Phil Lord & Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie) are directing an untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film.

I'll admit that Trevorrow's kind of a disappointing choice to follow Johnson, Edwards, and Lord & Miller. Safety Not Guaranteed is fine, and Jurassic World certainly delivers as spectacle, but the script, which he co-wrote, is pretty weak. The press release says that Trevorrow is only directing Star Wars, and it will be interesting to see if he eventually takes on screenwriting duties as well.

Hopefully with a good script and a strong world set up by Abrams and Johnson, Trevorrow can provide a strong conclusion to the trilogy, which is set for release in 2019.

jurassic-world-colin-trevorrow-chris-pratt — Image via Universal Pictures

Here's the press release from Disney:

ANAHEIM, CALIF. (August 15, 2015)—Today at D23, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn announced that writer-director Colin Trevorrow will direct Star Wars: Episode IX, which is set for release in 2019.

While production won’t begin for a few years, Trevorrow is heading to Lucasfilm this year to begin working with artists and his fellow Star Wars directors. “Colin is someone I’ve been interested in working with ever since I saw ‘Safety Not Guaranteed,’” says 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.”

Trevorrow states, “This is not a job or an assignment. 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.”

Star Wars: Episode IX will conclude the third trilogy of Star Wars movies that begins with Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 18, 2015.

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