UPDATE: Rian Johnson To Write & Direct Next Two STAR WARS Films!
Here's some big news for a Friday evening: Deadline report that Looper director Rian Johnson will take over from J.J. Abrams, and helm Star Wars Episodes VIII and IX, and also write the scripts for 'em. More on this past the jump.
Fans wondered if Star Trek director J.J. Abrams would stay on and direct the final two entries in the new Star Wars trilogy, and now it seems we have the answer. According to Deadline, Lucasfilm has made a deal with Looper writer-director Rian Johnson to write and direct Star Wars Episodes VIII and IX. The site say they don't know too much more about it at this point, but with the hiring of Chronicle‘s Josh Trank and Godzilla‘s Gareth Edwards for their standalone films, it seems clear that Lucasfilm/Disney are looking for young, talented and also geek-friendly directors to kickstart their new journey to the galaxy far far away.
UPDATE: THR report that Johnson will only direct Episode VIII, but he is writing a treatment for Episode IX.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.