Star Wars Episode 9 Signs Jurassic World Director

Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow--who recently decided not to directed the sequel--will direct Star Wars: Episode IX, Disney announced today at D23. The movie is still a long time away, as production is not expected to being "for a few years," while the movie itself is slated to hit theaters sometime in 2019.

"Colin is someone I've been interested in working with ever since I saw Safety Not Guaranteed," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said.

"The power of that film paired with the enormous success of Jurassic World speaks volumes about his abilities both as a storyteller and skilled filmmaker. We are thrilled to have such an incredible talent as Colin join our family and step into the Star Wars universe."

For his part, Trevorrow offered the following statement about taking on the major project.

"This is not a job or an assignment. It is a seat at a campfire, surrounded by an extraordinary group of storytellers, filmmakers, artists, and craftspeople," he said. "We've been charged with telling new stories for a younger generation because they deserve what we all had--a mythology to call their own. We will do this by channeling something George Lucas instilled in all of us: boundless creativity, pure invention, and hope."

Episode IX will be the third movie in the new trilogy that begins with this year's Force Awakens. J.J. Abrams is directing that movie, while Looper's Rian Johnson is set to direct Episode VIII.

Also today at D23, Disney released the first cast photo for the standalone Star Wars movie Rogue One.