Following the departure of Josh Trank, J.J. Abrams, director of the long awaited theatrical release of "Star Wars: Episode VII ? The Force Awakens" says the multi-billion dollar franchise is looking for a pretty talented filmmaker up to the task of bringing the as of yet untitled 2020 "Star Wars" spin-off to life. His suggestion? Ava DuVernay, the Oscar-nominated director of last year?s Civil Rights-era bio-picture "Selma." This sounds like a kismet considering Abrams and Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy are considering a wide range of possible female filmmakers to helm the production of one of the films. Abrams noted the filmmaker's love of genre films and storytelling as a perfect match for the "Star Wars" franchise. Star Wars: Episode VII ? The Force Awakens releases in theaters on December 18th, 2015, followed by "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" on December 16th, 2016. "Star Wars: Episode VIII" is slated for on May 26th, 2017 release, while the untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film is slated to hit theaters on May 25th, 2018. "Star Wars: Episode IX" is also expected to reach theaters in 2019, followed by the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.
