Screen has confirmed that the director of Looper is in discussions with Lucasfilm to direct Episode VIII and write a treatment for Episode IX of the Star Wars series.

Johnson discovered international fame as a filmmaker of note following his work on Looper, the 2012 sci-fi time travel mystery that starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt.

That followed his breakout Sundance hit Brick. He has also directed The Brothers Bloom and, most recently, several episodes of the TV smash Breaking Bad.

Johnson’s longtime producer Ram Bergman will be among the producers roster for Ep VIII.

JJ Abrams is currently shooting Episode VII at Pinewood in the UK. Cast member Harrison Ford recently injured his ankle during shooting and is expected to return to the set later this summer. That film is scheduled to open through Disney in December 2015.

As previously reported, Josh Trank and Gareth Edwards are on board to direct spin-off films centring on elements of the Star Wars galaxy.

 

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