The Internet is abuzz with rumors and casting announcements for next year’s Star Wars: Episode VII. Amid all the hubbub has been the additional promise of three standalone films in the Star Wars universe that rumors suggest will cover the origin stories of popular characters from the franchise. We already know that Godzilla director Gareth Edwards and The Walking Dead: The Game writer Gary Whitta are teaming up for one of these movies, and Lucasfilm now confirms that Josh Trank will be directing another.
Trank made waves in Hollywood in 2012 with his first feature, the unconventional superhero film Chronicle. The ripe age of just 27 at the time of the release, Trank became one of the youngest directors ever to open a film at number one in the U.S. box office. He is currently directing 20th Century Fox’s upcoming The Fantastic Four, which also features Chronicle star Michael B. Jordan as the Human Torch.
Addressing the chance to work on Star Wars, Trank stated: “The magic of the Star Wars Universe defined my entire childhood. The opportunity to expand on that experience for future generations is the most incredible dream of all time.”
The three films outside of the trilogy of trilogies are rumored to cover the origin stories of Han Solo, Boba Fett, and Yoda, but we have yet to see any official confirmation or a proposed sequence. They will likely be released on alternating years with Episodes VII-IX, with the first premiering in 2016. That Disney is choosing to hire young, exciting talent like Trank speaks to the company’s real desire to inject new life into the beloved franchise, much like what has happened with Marvel’s films over the last few years.
Our first taste of Disney’s trip to a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled to hit theaters on December 18, 2015
