Josh Trank shocked the world with his announcement that he would stepping away from working on the second, currently untitled Star Wars Anthology film.
After all, it seemed like a dream job. In a joint statement from Trank and Lucasfilm on May 1, Trank said he was exiting the project to "pursue some original creative opportunities."
Some didn't buy it. Rumors quickly began to circulate that Trank, who directed Chronicle and the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, was actually fired from the project as a result of his "erratic behavior" on the set of Fantastic Four. Other rumors claimed Trank had butted heads with Fantastic Four co-writer and producer Simon Kinberg, who was also working alongside Trank as a producer on the second Star Wars Anthology.
Speaking up for the first time since leaving the project to the LA Times, Trank says none of those rumors are true. The real reason Trank decided to leave the project seems to have been fan scrutiny and hate.
"I want to do something original after this because I've been living under public scrutiny, as you've seen, for the last four years of my life," Trank says. "And it's not healthy for me right now in my life. I want to do something that's below the radar."
Trank has been a target for his Fantastic Four reboot, which looks to be much different from the Fantastic Four many Marvel Comic fans are used to, at least in part because of the decision to change the race of Johnny Storm.
It's easy to understand then why Trank might not exactly be thrilled about the idea of diving into the Star Wars universe, which has an arguably much larger, and as a result even more vocal, fanbase that might not take kindly to some of Trank's creative choices.
"I knew that this was going to be questioned and it was going to come under skepticism as to why I left ‘Star Wars,'" he says. "And it was hard. It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life."
Trank says the Star Wars universe is one of his biggest influences as a filmmaker. If making a Star Wars film means losing one's mental health, however, Trank probably made the smart move. Development on the second Star Wars Anthology film is still ongoing, and currently does not have a director attached to the project. Might it involve Han Solo and Boba Fett?
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