Rian Johnson will write and direct Star Wars Episode VIII and Episode IX

Now here's some big Big news... While the JJ Abrams directed Star Wars: Episode VII is on its way, the next two Star Wars movies (Episode VIII and IX) will be written and directed by Rian Johnson (who directed Brick, The Brothers Bloom, and Looper). Rian Johnson is one of those extremely masterful directors working in Hollywood right now, and this is such a huge positive movie for Disney for picking him to helm the next two movies. [hit the jump to continue]

Johnson will get started quickly and this will be his preoccupation for quite awhile. This report came out of Deadline and notes that-- Essentially, that means that the intention is for Johnson to take the baton from JJ Abrams, who has gotten the space franchise off the ground and is right now helming Episode VII.

What is extremely optimistic about all this is that right now, Disney and Lucasfilm has this strategy of entrusting the venerable franchise to the best and brightest writers and directors, including the spinoff films that are being directed by Chronicle‘s Josh Trank and Godzilla‘s Gareth Edwards [click links to go to articles].

Technically, he’ll write that second treatment but the intention on both sides is that he direct the two installments. Joining him as producer will be Ram Bergman. Johnson made his directing debut on the respected indie Brick, and then jumped to mainstream science fiction by writing and directing Looper, an inventive time travel thriller that starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. Bergman produced both of those films. It would be hard to imagine Johnson taking on a higher profile challenge than two consecutive Star Wars films. I’ll tell you more when I know it. Johnson is repped by CAA and attorney Stephen Clark.

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