Disney and Lucasfilm might not have had a trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to show at D23 in Anaheim today, but they did confirm a big rumor. Colin Trevorrow, who revived the Jurassic Park franchise this summer with Jurassic World, has officially been picked to direct Star Wars: Episode IX.
This was rumored back in July by the site Heroic Hollywood, but Lucasfilm didn’t say anything about it at San Diego Comic Con. The studio apparently wanted to wait for its own convention.
“Colin is someone I’ve been interested in working with ever since I saw Safety Not Guaranteed,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement. “The power of that film paired with the enormous success of Jurassic World speaks volumes about his abilities both as a storyteller and skilled filmmaker. We are thrilled to have such an incredible talent as Colin join our family and step into the Star Wars universe.”
Treverrow also expressed his excitement for getting to take part in another iconic franchise.
“This is not a job or an assignment,” Trevorrow said. “It is a seat at a campfire, surrounded by an extraordinary group of storytellers, filmmakers, artists and craftspeople. We’ve been charged with telling new stories for a younger generation because they deserve what we all had—a mythology to call their own. We will do this by channeling something George Lucas instilled in all of us: boundless creativity, pure invention and hope.”
Episode IX isn’t scheduled for release until 2019, since Rian Johnson’s Episode VIII will hit theaters in 2017. This should give Trevorrow plenty of time to make his small indie film Book of Henry with Naomi Watts.
The news also will not likely affect Universal’s plans for a fifth Jurassic Park film. Treverrow has only agreed to co-write and produce that project, so Universal already knows that it needs a new director for that project.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was directed by J.J. Abrams, opens on Dec. 18.