By: Dominic Jones
After missing out on his appearance at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim last month due to the flu, it seems Josh Trank will no longer be working on the second Star Wars Anthology film. Lucasfilm made the announcement today that Trank had left the project and included statements from Trank and Lucasfilm VP of Development (aka Head of the Story Group) Kiri Hart.
"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."
Kiri Hart added,
"It was a privilege to collaborate with Josh. We are grateful for the energy and love of Star Wars that he brought to the process, and we wish him all the best."
Work will continue on the film, though no word yet on who will be assuming the directing duties from Trank. It is believed that Simon Kinberg is writing the film.
I have to say I'm sorry to see Trank go. He is clearly a huge fan of the saga (he even made a fan film several years ago) and it would have been interesting to see his unique take on the galaxy far, far away. On behalf of the The SWU, I want to thank Trank for his contributions to the universe and wish him the best of luck in whatever he goes on to do.
The reason for Trank's departure is unclear. The Hollywood Reporter has been hearing some interesting rumors behind the scens about his time on Fantastic Four. According to THR,
"Trank raised eyebrows when he didn't show up for a planned presentation at Disney's Star Wars Celebration in April. At the time, Disney and Trank said he was not feeling well, with Trank tweeting that he had "worst flu of my life." But sources say Trank was asked by Disney executives not to attend the event.
Rumors have persisted that Fox is unhappy with Trank's performance on Fantastic Four and that Kinberg, who is producing both that film and the second Star Wars spinoff, was getting cold feet about working with Trank again."
The reason for Trank's departure is unclear. The Hollywood Reporter has been hearing some interesting rumors behind the scens about his time on Fantastic Four. According to THR,
"Trank raised eyebrows when he didn't show up for a planned presentation at Disney's Star Wars Celebration in April. At the time, Disney and Trank said he was not feeling well, with Trank tweeting that he had "worst flu of my life." But sources say Trank was asked by Disney executives not to attend the event.
Rumors have persisted that Fox is unhappy with Trank's performance on Fantastic Four and that Kinberg, who is producing both that film and the second Star Wars spinoff, was getting cold feet about working with Trank again."
It's an unfortunate story if true. And you have to wonder what went down on the set of Fantastic Four that would make Kinberg not want to work with Trank and cause Lucasfilm/Disney to let him go. It will be interesting to see what else may come out about the reasons behind his departure.
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