The second Star Wars spin-off is now without a director as Josh Trank exits the project.
But what really happened?
According to StarWars.com the 31-year-old filmmaker has left the upcoming Star Wars spin-off in order to pursue ‘creative opportunities’.
“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,” he said. “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.”
“The Star Wars universe has always been one of my biggest influences, and I couldn’t be more excited to witness its future alongside my millions of fellow Star Wars fans. I want to thank my friends Kathleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart, Simon Kinberg, and everyone at Lucasfilm and Disney for the amazing opportunity to have been a part of this. May the Force be with you all.”
But is that really all there is to it?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, that’s not quite the full story… and it seems behind-the-scenes problems on ‘Fantastic Four’ may have forced Lucasfilm to look elsewhere.
“Sources say reports of the young director’s unusual conduct during the making of Fox’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie had raised alarm among Lucasfilm executives that were entrusting him with the second Star Wars standalone film.”
Of course, his recent non-appearance at Star Wars Celebration – despite being scheduled for a Q&A panel – was attributed to illness at the time. But it’s now believed that Lucasfilm had asked him not to attend while they considered all their options.
“Producers on Fantastic Four, set for release July 30, are said to have faced great challenges pulling the film together given behavior described by one insider as ‘erratic’ and at times ‘very isolated’,” they explained. “Trank did not offer clear direction, this person adds, saying, ‘If you’ve got someone who can’t answer questions or who isn’t sure or is in hiding, that’s not good’.”
Of course, the upcoming Star Wars spin-off will have to look for another director. But what does this mean for the Fantastic Four reboot?
It’s no secret that fans have been a little cautious in light of numerous changes made to the characters’ origins. And with news that the production wasn’t exactly plain sailing, it looks as though we might still not get the Fantastic Four we’ve been hoping for.
But for now, we’ll have to wait and see.
Do you think Fantastic Four will turn out alright in the end? Who would you like to see direct the next Star Wars spin-off? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
