Star Wars Director Responds to Petition Calling for Return of George Lucas

For the target of a petition that demands he lose his job, Colin Trevorrow isn’t too worried.

Two weeks ago, a Change.org petition was published online, calling for George Lucas to return to the Star Wars franchise and direct Episode IX, the final film in the new trilogy. More than 20,000 fans have signed-on for Lucas to replace Treverrow, but the grassroots effort hasn’t intimidated the Jurassic World director in the least.

“It’s funny. I saw that,” Trevorrow told Entertainment Tonight. “I think it was yesterday, and it was on a day where I was at Lucasfilm giving this big speech to everyone about how we want to channel the invention and just the raw creativity and the boldness that George brought to these films.”

Trevorrow also commented on how his film will relate to the direction of The Force Awakens, explaining that he’s collaborating with Episode VIII director Rian Johnson (Looper). “A story must evolve or perish,” Trevorrow said. “Rian and I are working closely together, to make sure that our stories build off of each other and continue to evolve and take us to new places. I think that’s what the fans expect and what they want.”

Johnson’s Episode VIII is set to hit theaters in May 2017, with Episode IX — which will almost definitely be directed by Colin Trevorrow — following in May 2019.