Star Wars spin-off movie loses director Josh Trank

Director Josh Trank has left the unnamed Star Wars film he was supposed to direct for Lucasfilm, according to a statement posted to the official Star Wars website.

"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," Trank said in a statement. "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.

"That said, 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."

Trank (Chronicle, Fantastic Four) was attached to direct the second of two announced Star Wars Anthology films. The first is being helmed by Godzilla director Gareth Edwards and is titled Star Wars: Rogue One. The second Anthology movie didn't have a release date, nor has Lucasfilm offered details on its story.

Lucasfilm said in a statement that the Star Wars team is "continuing to develop the project."