Star Wars: 5 Awesome Reveals From The Disney D23 Expo (And 2 That Are Worrying)

The Worrying:

2. Colin Trevorrow Is Directing Episode XI

It was rumoured way back at Comic-Con, and further alluded to when J.J. Abrams confirmed he wasn't planning to return to Star Wars after The Force Awakens, but it's now confirmed that Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow is directing Episode IX, due for release in 2019. Why Trevorrow has been picked should be obvious - his last film, the fourth Jurassic Park, made a whopping $1.6 billion at the box office - and that's a problem. Whereas it's clear to see the creative reasons behind the hiring of Abrams (The Force Awakens), Gareth Edwards (Rogue One), Rian Johnson (Episode VIII) and Phil Lord & Chris Miller (Han Solo), here it's all based on money, with little sense the new filmmaker can bring his own game; Jurassic World was fine, but went too far up itself in trying to be an earnest nostalgia-painted throwback, making Trevorrow a totally unexciting choice. He did, of course, also direct Safety Not Guaranteed, but to suggest that's anything more than a footnote in this decision is kinda like saying Abrams was hired off his work on Alias, or Edwards for making Monsters in his bedroom, or Johnson for making the controversial Fly episode of Breaking Bad. For me, Trevorrow as the director of Episode IX is the first genuinely iffy creative decision since Disney took over Lucasfilm - a semi-desperate attempt to secure ongoing box office success over connecting with the fanbase. Here's to him proving me wrong.