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More Bad News For 'Star Wars': Colin Trevorrow Exits Episode IX

[Sad beep]

UPDATE (9/12/17, 11:07 a.m. ET): J.J. Abrams, who directed the franchise relaunch Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, will return to helm Episode IX in the wake of Colin Trevorrow's exit, it was announced on Tuesday (September 12).

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There's been a great disturbance in the Force: Director Colin Trevorrow is exiting Star Wars: Episode IX.

Lucasfilm announced Trevorrow's departure on Tuesday, posting an official statement online. "Lucasfilm and Colin Trevorrow have mutually chosen to part ways on Star Wars: Episode IX," the statement reads. "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."

The news comes just months after filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller left the untitled Han Solo film mid-production due to "creative differences" with Lucasfilm.

When MTV News caught up with Trevorrow earlier this year, the Jurassic World helmer said he was busy "writing and designing" the film that will conclude the third trilogy of Star Wars movies that began with J.J. Abrams's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. At the time, the director confirmed that there was a draft of the Episode IX script and that he and the Star Wars team were "throwing 110 percent of our souls into it." He added: "There will be nothing left of me when I'm done."

Somewhere along the way, it seems his vision for Episode IX began to stray from that of Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy's, and in July, British writer Jack Thorne was tapped to work on the script.

This is the second big blow for Trevorrow, whose most recent film, The Book of Henry, was panned by critics and failed to find an audience at the box office. That being said, he also co-wrote and produced the forthcoming Jurassic World sequel, starring Chris Pratt, so we think his Hollywood career is going to be just fine.

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