Star Wars: More Details Emerge About Colin Trevorrow’s ‘Episode IX’ Departure

Over the last year, Lucasfilm has earned a reputation for itself as having a director problem, with the original directors of Solo: A Star Wars Story leaving the project last summer while Colin Trevorrow left Episode IX in September. Neither the studio nor Trevorrow have detailed what led to the split, though a new report from the Wall Street Journal possibly offers new clues on the situation.

According to the outlet, Trevorrow was tapped following the success he achieved with Jurassic World and wrote a script with Jack Thorpe. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was reportedly unhappy with the first draft, with Trevorrow also feeling frustrated with the story he turned in. The filmmaker reportedly asked for another chance at writing the script, though Kennedy didn’t allow him this chance, leading to the departure.

We doubt that the draft could have been so underwhelming that the filmmaker’s vision was completely scrapped, with rumors that the filmmaker was difficult to work with possibly justifying the dismissal after a lackluster script was turned in.

Shortly after the dismissal, an insider elaborated on the inciting incidents that led to the split.

“During the making of Jurassic World, he focused a great deal of his creative energies on asserting his opinion,” they told Vulture. “But because he had been personally hired by Spielberg, nobody could say, ‘You’re fired.’ Once that film went through the roof and he chose to do [The Book of] Henry, [Trevorrow] was unbearable. He had an egotistical point of view – and he was always asserting that.”

Last summer’s financial and critical flop Book of Henry had apparently made it easier to dismiss Trevorrow officially.

“When the reviews for Book of Henry came out, there was immediately conjecture that Kathy was going to dump him because they weren’t thrilled with working with him anyway,” the insider added. “He’s really, really, really confident. Let’s call it that.”

While we may never know what officially happened or the direction that Trevorrow wanted to take the story, Book of Henry star Bobby Moynihan did claim to witness Daisy Ridley learn her character’s fate based on the former director’s plans.

Ridley was reportedly interested in finding out her character’s fate, which Trevorrow whispered into her ear. Her reaction was apparently an emotional one, with Moynihan claiming she started crying, which he revealed to Collider.

The J.J. Abrams-directed Episode IX will be landing in theaters on December 20, 2019.

What do you think went on with Trevorrow? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

[H/T The Wall Street Journal]