Having already left his mark on the Jurassic Park franchise with 2015’s Jurassic World, Colin Trevorrow was supposed to jump to a galaxy far, far away and direct Star Wars: Episode IX, which we now know as The Rise of Skywalker. Due to creative differences, Trevorrow ended up departing Episode IX, but he’ll get residuals from this Star Wars movie, and he plans on giving that money to a great cause rather than keep it for himself.
Colin Trevorrow has announced that he’ll be donating his Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker profits to the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice, which is located in Berkshire, England. In a statement to Deadline, Trevorrow attributed his decision to donate the money as a way to honor Star Wars mastermind George Lucas. Trevorrow said:
Through his films, George Lucas taught us about our connection to all living things. He taught us to take care of one another, and he set a powerful example himself. The Alexander Devine Hospice helps families in the most challenging of times. I can’t think of a more fitting way to honor George’s legacy.
Fiona Devine, the CEO and co-founder of the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice, said in her own statement that she and everyone else at the hospice center are “blown away by this incredibly generous gesture,” and that Colin Trevorrow’s donation is the equivalent of paying for a nurse for a year.
It was announced in August 2015, just two months after Jurassic World’s release and four months before Star Wars: The Force Awakens came out, that Colin Trevorrow would direct Star Wars: Episode IX. Had that unfolded as planned, then each movie in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy would have been helmed by a different filmmaker, with J.J. Abrams handling The Force Awakens and Rian Johnson handling The Last Jedi.
However, in September 2017, it was announced that Colin Trevorrow was exiting Star Wars: Episode IX, and just days later, J.J. Abrams was brought back to take over as the director of the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga. Trevorrow was initially unwilling to go into detail about the circumstances surrounding why he left Episode IX, but in June 2018, a month after it was reported that Trevorrow was let go due to an unsatisfactory script, he acknowledged that the negative reaction to his 2016 movie The Book of Henry might have played a role.
While he didn’t end up directing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Colin Trevorrow is still getting a ‘Story By’ credit (alongside Derek Connolly, J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio) due to some of his contributions being kept in the finalized tale. And since The Rise of Skywalker will likely be a commercial hit (if not necessarily perform as well as The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi on opening weekend), that means the residuals will keep flowing for quite a while, resulting in more money for the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice.
Set one year after The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will chronicle the final battles between The Resistance and The First Order, as well as bring an end to the ancient conflict between the Jedi and Sith. As for Colin Trevorrow, he’s gearing up to direct Jurassic World 3, which he also co-wrote with Emily Carmichael.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters on December 20, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more coverage. In the meantime, find out what movies are coming out next year with our 2020 release schedule.
