Star Wars: Episode IX and director part ways over movie vision

The Star Wars movie franchise has parted ways with another director, Walt Disney Co announced on Tuesday, saying that Colin Trevorrow would no longer be directing the studio's scheduled 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX.

Disney and Lucasfilm in a statement blamed differing visions for the project but did not name a replacement.

"Lucasfilm and Colin Trevorrow have mutually chosen to part ways on Star Wars: Episode IX," the statement said.

Trevorrow is best known for directing Jurassic World and has been working on the ninth instalment of the space saga for some time.

He was officially announced as the director of Episode IX in August of 2015 and has been co-writing the script as well. 

It is the final instalment in the new "main" Star Wars trilogy that began with JJ Abrams' The Force Awakens in 2015 and will continue this December with director Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi.

The announcement gave no indication as to whether or not the shakeup would affect the film's previously set May 2019 release date.

"Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process, but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ."

"We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon."

This is the latest upheaval in the Star Wars universe. 

Earlier this year the young Han Solo spinoff film parted ways with director Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and replaced them with Ron Howard deep into production. 

And in 2015, the company fired director Josh Trank from work on another Star Wars spinoff.

Extensive reshoots on the anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story led to widespread speculation that director Gareth Edwards had been unofficially sidelined on that project as well.

Obi Wan spin-off in the works

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stephen Daldry is in early talks to direct a Star Wars spin-off about Jedi master Obi Wan Kenobi, US media reported.

There is no script yet and no actor lined up to play the bearded warrior and sage made famous by the late Alec Guinness in the original series of films. 

Ewan McGregor, who played Kenobi in the much-maligned prequel series, will be an early favourite for the role, although at 46 he might be a stretch if the film concentrates on the character's formative years.

The Hollywood Reporter said Daldry, nominated three times for best director Academy Awards, would be part of the team overseeing the development and writing if the deal were to go ahead.

Speculation over an Obi Wan spin-off has been circulating for as long as the plan for the three anthology films has been public.

Lucasfilm, which is owned by Disney, is in the middle of a trilogy of "anthology" films running in the even years alongside its main trilogy, which falls in odd years.

"There's no official offer, and I haven't met them about it or anything," McGregor told Entertainment Weekly in April about the prospect of reprising the role.

"But I've always said that I'd be happy to do it if they wanted to do it. It would be a good segue between the last episode of the prequels and the new episodes."

Unconfirmed reports in the trade press have also linked Lucasfilm to projects centring on several other favourite characters, such as Jedi grand master Yoda and bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Daldry, whose Oscar nominations came for Billy Elliot (2000), The Hours (2002) and The Reader (2008), is up for an Emmy this year for directing hit Netflix period drama The Crown.

Disney and Daldry's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.