Star Wars: Episode 9: Colin Trevorrow announced as director

Trevorrow wrote and directed Jurassic World

(Getty Images)

Lucasfilm has announced Colin Trevorrow, the director of the box-office smash hit Jurassic World, will direct Star Wars: Episode IX.

Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn said production on the final installment of the trilogy that begins with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will not start for a few years.

Trevorrow has also directed the 2012 film Safety Not Guranteed. Lucasfilm's president Kathleen Kennedy praised the 38-year-old as an "incredible talent" and said she has been keen to work with him ever since watching the film, which was his directorial debut.

"The power of that film paired with the enormous success of Jurassic World speaks volumes about his abilities both as a storyteller and skilled film-maker," she said.

Trevorrow described his appointment as more than just a job or assignment. "It is a seat at a campfire, surrounded by an extraordinary group of storytellers, filmmakers, artists and craftspeople," he said.

"We’ve been charged with telling new stories for a younger generation because they deserve what we all had—a mythology to call their own. We will do this by channeling something George Lucas instilled in all of us: boundless creativity, pure invention and hope.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is due for release on 18 December. Episode IX will be released in 2019.