Johnson is part of Disney and Lucasfilm's plans to hire young and talented directors to tackle new 'Star Wars' installments.
- Jun 21, 2014
AceShowbiz - J.J. Abrams will not be the director of "Star Wars Episode VIII", it has been reported. Instead, "Looper" and "Brick" director Rian Johnson will take over the directing the job in addition to writing the script.
No official announcement has been made but The Wrap has heard from "two individuals with knowledge of the director's plans" that Johnson is deeply involved in the "Star Wars" franchise. He is also set to write for the ninth movie although the directing duty will be handed to someone else.
Johnson seemingly hinted at the commitment by cryptically tweeting a clip from 1983's "The Right Stuff" in which Scott Glenn's character prays, "Dear lord, please don't let me f**k up."
Johnson is not the only young director entrusted to tackle a "Star Wars" movie. Disney and Lucasfilm hired "Godzilla" director Gareth Edwards and "Chronicle" director Josh Trank to make spin-offs which details are still kept under wrap.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said they planned to release one "Star Wars" film each year in between the trilogy. "Star Wars Episode VIII" is scheduled for 2017.
