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.
Trank told StarWars.com,
"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.