Josh Trank Leaves Star Wars Anthology Film

Fantastic Four director Josh Trank will not direct the second Star Wars Anthology film, as previously planned, Lucasfilm announced today.

"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," Trank said. "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," Lucasfilm VP of Development Kiri Hart said. "We are grateful for the energy and love of Star Wars that he brought to the process, and we wish him all the best."

Lucasfilm will continue to develop the same film without Trank. Expected in 2018, the as-yet-untitled project will be the second Star Wars Anthology film, following next year's Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One.