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Trank, 30, the director of 2012's sci-fi movie "Chronicle"
and the upcoming "Fantastic Four" movie, was selected to direct
the second "Star Wars Anthology" due out in 2018. The three
anthology films will intersect a new trilogy in the franchise,
kicking off with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in December.
"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," Trank
said in a statement on StarWars.com.
"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."
Lucasfilm's vice president of development, Kiri Hart, added, "We
are grateful for the energy and love of Star Wars that he
brought to the process."
No replacement for Trank has been named yet.
"The Force Awakens," directed by J.J. Abrams, is the first of a
new "Star Wars" trilogy being produced by Walt Disney Co since
it purchased the franchise from Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.05
billion. It is expected to be one of the biggest box office hits
later this year, and its two trailers have already amassed
millions of views amid frenzied fan interest.
"Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One," directed by Gareth Edwards and
starring Felicity Jones, is the first of the standalone films
and is due out in 2016.
"Star Wars," created by filmmaker George Lucas, grossed more
than $4.4 billion at the worldwide box office since 1977 with
six films and has become embedded in pop culture, spawning a
legion of devoted fans.
Franchise stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher
will all return in "The Force Awakens."
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Mary Milliken and
Leslie Adler)
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