Photo of Josh Trank by Alan Markfield

Josh Trank Tapped to Direct Star Wars Spin-Off Film

The future of the Star Wars franchise is rounding out quite nicely. With last month's announcement that Godzilla director Gareth Edwards will be directing one of the three rumored spin-off films, it shows just how dedicated Disney is in ensuring the Star Wars brand is treated well and being carried along in the right hands. Sure, naysayers can point out Disney's milking and exploitation of the name, especially with the notion that we'll receive a Star Wars film every year, but at least the filmmakers they're targeting are talented up and comers. With today's news, another pivotal piece of the puzzle has been added to the Star Wars family.

Upcoming Fantastic Four director Josh Trank has been confirmed to direct one of the Star Wars spin-off films. As has become standard, there's no word on what the film will actually be about. However, given Trank's professional background working with the superhero genre (as well as an early Star Wars-inspired short film), his addition to the Star Wars universe is a great one. He showed immense promise with Chronicle, and will hopefully be able to turn the Fantastic Four franchise around. With J.J. Abrams, Gareth Edwards, and now Josh Trank on board, I think we can expect a level of directorial quality from these Star Wars films that we've been lacking since Return of the Jedi was released.

You can read the full press release below:

In addition to the episodes of a new Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm and Disney continue development of multiple stand-alone movies that will offer new stories beyond the core Saga. The newest director to come on board is Josh Trank.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Josh into the family,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “He is such an incredible talent and has a great imagination and sense of innovation. That makes him perfectly suited to Star Wars, and for this new slate of movies that reach beyond the core characters and storylines of Episodes I through IX.”

Trank states, “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.”

Trank captured imaginations worldwide with his critically lauded directorial debut Chronicle, a fresh and engaging take on the superhero genre. Trank is currently at work on The Fantastic Four for 20th Century Fox.

[via /Film]