Lucasfilm President Says Colin Trevorrow Left The Rise of Skywalker Because He was at a 'Huge Disadvantage'

It is already known that Colin Trevorrow was originally set to direct The Rise of Skywalker, but left the production and was replaced with J.J. Abrams. There isn't much known about the issue, but Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy shares further explanation of what exactly happened.

In a recent interview with io9, Kennedy was asked why things "didn't work" with the Jurassic World director. "Well, I wouldn't say it didn't work," she said. Kennedy claims Trevorrow was "at a huge disadvantage" because he was not part of The Force Awakens and in other "early conversations" considering that they already had a "general sense of where the story was going."

She admitted that when they were looking at the first draft, they realized that it was "heading in a direction" where most of them "didn't feel" it was somewhere they wanted it to go. "And we were on a schedule," she added. Pointing out that it's a "tough decision" on whether or not they would actually "get there" in time.

Reiterating the reason Trevorrow didn't end up directing Episode IX, she said the director was also at a disadvantage because "he hadn't been immersed" in everything they already had planned out starting with The Force Awakens.

It isn't exactly surprising for big franchises, such as Star Wars, to have some creative turnovers in the process of deciding and making projects. It's also understandable to make these choices, especially when a big project is under a time crunch so it makes sense that they would choose Abrams to direct the final installment of the Skywalker Saga. Regardless, Trevorrow did get a writing credit for the movie and will be donating his earnings to charity.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres December 20.

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