Star Wars: Josh Trank Weighs in on Lucasfilm Directors' Frequent Exits

Following Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, the studio announced that Chronicle director Josh Trank would be developing a standalone film for the franchise, only for those plans to dissolve the following year, with subsequent filmmaker departures from planned Star Wars projects not making him feel any better about the situation. At the time of Trank's exit, it was shocking to think that such a partnership would come to an end, only for Phil Lord and Chris Miller to leave Solo: A Star Wars Story, Colin Trevorrow to leave Star Wars: Episode IX, and David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to leave their series of films, with the announcement of every new project coming with apprehension that it will ultimately fall apart.

"It was pretty much obvious I was going to be fired, so that was my option, was you could leave now or get shot in the face, right?" Trank detailed to ComicBook.com. "But as far as when [Lord and Miller left Solo], there were people who were calling me up or like texting me with a link to the article to the news and being like, 'This has got to make you feel a lot better.' And my answer was always, 'No. I actually would've really like to see Lord and MIller's Han Solo.' I'm still a fan at the end of the day, and I know that it would make sense for me to have some sort of alleviation, and that's not in any way, shape, or form to rub my nose at the question, because it's a great question. My answer is ... it's complicated."

The filmmaker has previously revealed that, due to conflicts he had with 20th Century Fox while shooting the 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four, he knew reports of that friction were making their way to Lucasfilm and gave him the impression that it was only a matter of time before he would be fired from the project.

"It doesn't make me feel good to hear that something didn't work out for people who I have tremendous respect for. I'm a fan of Star Wars. I would love for those movies to work and to be great," the filmmaker pointed out. "But as far as it relates to Star Wars, it doesn't give me any pleasure or relief whatsoever to know that something didn't work out, because all it does is it reminds you of situations where things didn't work out for you, and that sucks."

Trank also shared his love for Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson, who managed to find the balance of telling a compelling and ambitious story that also pleased Lucasfilm.

"Rian Johnson is a hero of mine, and I'm lucky enough to call him a friend. He's a great, wonderful guy," Trank gushed. "I loved his Star Wars. And whatever his ability within that system to navigate and to be able to make those films, he's figured that out. I don't know what it is, but he's figured it out. And hats off to Rian, and I want to see him make more Star Wars movies. I just want to see more Rian Johnson movies, in general."

Trank's next project, Capone, saw him take almost complete ownership of the project, as he wrote, directed, and edited it.

In the film, "Once a ruthless businessman and bootlegger who ruled Chicago with an iron fist, Alfonse Capone was the most infamous and feared gangster of American lore. At the age of 47, following nearly a decade of imprisonment, dementia rots Alfonse's mind and his past becomes present. Harrowing memories of his violent and brutal origins melt into his waking life. As he spends his final year surrounded by family with the FBI lying in wait, this ailing patriarch struggles to place the memory of the location of millions of dollars he hid away on his property."

Capone stars Tom Hardy, Linda Cardellini, Matt Dillon, Kyle MacLachlan, Kathrine Narducci, and Noel Fisher and hits VOD on May 12th.

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