Josh Trank has left the second film in the Star Wars Anthology series (the name Lucasfilm has given to the three stand-alone Star Wars films planned to alternate with the new trilogy), he announced Friday.  “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.  “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.”

Trank’s hiring was announced less than a year ago (see “‘Fantastic Four’ Director to Helm Stand-Alone ‘Star Wars’ Film”).  Development on the second stand-alone Star Wars film goes on, according to the announcement.  The first Star Wars Anthology film, Rogue One, is scheduled to release on December 16, 2016 (see “’Star Wars’ Stand-Alone News”), which would put the second sometime in 2018. 

No word on whether Trank will direct the sequel to Fantastic Four, which is planned for 2017 (see “Best in Shows – Q2 2017”).