Today at D23, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn announced that writer-director Colin Trevorrow will direct Star Wars: Episode IX, which is set for release in 2019. While production won't begin for a few years, Trevorrow is heading to Lucasfilm this year to begin working with artists and his fellow Star Wars directors. Here's what LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy had to say about the filmmaker in a statement.

"Colin is someone I've been interested in working with ever since I saw Safety Not Guaranteed. The power of that film paired with the enormous success of Jurassic World speaks volumes about his abilities both as a storyteller and skilled filmmaker. We are thrilled to have such an incredible talent as Colin join our family and step into the Star Wars universe."

Star Wars: Episode IX will conclude the third trilogy of Star Wars movies that begins with Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 18, 2015. Rian Johnson has been confirmed to write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII, which has been set for release on May 26, 2017. Here's what Colin Trevorrow himself had to say about the news in a statement.

"This is not a job or an assignment. It is a seat at a campfire, surrounded by an extraordinary group of storytellers, filmmakers, artists and craftspeople. 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."

Today's announcement confirms a rumor that surfaced last month from Heroic Hollywood, which claimed that Colin Trevorrow has been set to direct Star Wars: Episode IX, but was never confirmed until today. The news also comes just a few days after Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams himself shot down rumors that he will come back to direct Star Wars: Episode IX. What do you think about today's big news? Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for more on Star Wars: Episode IX, arriving in theaters sometime in 2019.