Star Wars Anthology Movie Loses Director Josh Trank

Chronicleand Fantastic Four director Josh Trank won't be directing the second Star Wars Anthology movie. A statement from Lucasfilm hints at the usual "creative differences" stuff that is usually trumpeted when somebody leaves a big studio movie.

Here's the word from Josh Trank: 

 “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.”

“It was a privilege to collaborate with Josh," said Lucasfilm VP of Development Kiri Hart in the same statement. "We are grateful for the energy and love of Star Warsthat he brought to the process, and we wish him all the best.”

That all sounds nice, but it comes just weeks after Mr. Trank was a no-show at the Star Wars Anthology presentation at Star Wars Celebration. Mr. Trank claimed he was ill, but The Hollywood Reporter claims he was asked not to attend. Erratic behavior on the troubled Fantastic Four production may have also contributed to the problems.

This second Star Wars Anthology film is due in 2018, although no firm release date has yet been set, and no concept for the film has been revealed. We'll keep an eye on things, but we expect we'll here more about Star Wars: Rogue One or Episode VIIIbefore any details (other than a replacement director) are revealed. We'll keep you updated.