[Update: Colin Trevorrow responds to Star Wars 9 fan petition.]
When George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney for the small sum of $4 billion back in 2012, the intention was quite clear. A new generation of filmmakers (those who grew up on Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy) was going to be able to play in the expansive sandbox of a galaxy far, far away, adding to the series' legacy. By all accounts, the new era of Star Wars on film is off to a rousing start, as J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens has become the all-time domestic box office king and a critical darling.
There's a lot of pressure on the upcoming installments of the sequel trilogy to maintain the forward momentum, and fortunately Lucasfilm has been planning the franchise's future for quite some time. They hired Rian Johnson to helm Episode VIII and Colin Trevorrow to direct Episode IX well before The Force Awakens even hit theaters. While many fans are excited to see what these filmmakers can pull off with their Star Wars movies, some would prefer if the man who started it all, Lucas, came back for one final round.
Yuri Luiz has started an Internet petition on Change.org, which asks Disney to remove Trevorrow from Episode IX and have Lucas take his place. Luiz does not appear to have any ill will towards the Jurassic World director; the petition stems from his desire to have the series come full circle and honor the legacy of its roots:
We have no problem with Colin Trevorrow , but he's not the right guy to direct Star Wars Episode IX . George Lucas as director of Episode IX would be the perfect way to end this new trilogy and make an epic farewell between the Father of Star Wars and the whole universe of the galaxy far, far away ....
We would like to see him again involved with the franchise. Thank you so much.
While Luiz seems to have the best intentions, there's no chance this would happen even if the cause gained millions of supporters. Lucas has made it abundantly clear that he is no longer part of the franchise, publicly talking about his "divorce" from the property in the months leading up to The Force Awakens. Furthermore, the filmmaker caused a firestorm recently when he criticized Disney for taking a "retro" approach towards Episode VII, indicating he doesn't agree with their direction (though he later offered his support for Disney's handling of the franchise). Since the Mouse House apparently tossed out Lucas' ideas when developing Star Wars 7, it would seem the studio isn't all that interested in working with him either.
Not to mention, Lucas coming back to direct a future Star Wars film would draw the ire of a majority of moviegoers. Fans have a love-hate relationship with Lucas. They definitely appreciate what he did in creating the franchise (and directing the seminal original movie), but many did not approve of the decisions Lucas made when working on the maligned prequel trilogy. His lack of involvement in Episode VII was one of the reasons why viewers were optimistic the film could be a return to form, so Lucas' return behind the camera could mostly quell the newfound enthusiasm fans have in this post-Force Awakens world.
There's no denying that the idea of Lucas returning and delivering a rousing conclusion to the sequel trilogy sounds great on-paper, but it's something that will never come into fruition. It wouldn't benefit any of the parties involved, and a Lucas comeback would seemingly be the antithesis of his reasoning for selling Lucasfilm in the first place. For better or worse, Star Wars is in Kathleen Kennedy's hands now, guiding the energetic new voices along as they develop their films. Lucas and his galaxy far, far away will forever be intertwined, but the torch has been passed and there's no going back now.
[Update: Colin Trevorrow responds to Star Wars 9 fan petition.]
NEXT: George Lucas Clarifies Disney Comments
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is now in theaters, and will be followed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16th, 2016; Star Wars: Episode VIII on May 26th, 2017; and the Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film on May 25th, 2018. Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to see theatrical release in 2019, followed by the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.
Source: Change.org