The annual Star Wars day (May the 4th, geddit?) is set to take place on Monday - traditionally a day when fans celebrate their enthusiasm for the popular series. However just ahead of Monday's 'celebrations', it has been revealed that one of the upcoming films in the series has lost its director.

31-year-old Josh Trank - director of Chronicle and the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot - had been hired for one of the upcoming Star Wars 'Anthology' films: spin-off films set to be released in the years in-between the main series entries.

In a statement on the official Star Wars website, Trank wrote that, “after a year of having the incredible honor of developing with the wonderful and talented people at Lucasfilm, I’m making a personal decision to move forward on a different path. I’ve put a tremendous amount of thought into this, and I know deep down in my heart that I want to pursue some original creative opportunities.

"That said, the Star Wars universe has always been one of my biggest influences, and I couldn’t be more excited to witness its future alongside my millions of fellow Star Wars fans," he added.

There has been speculation about the rumours behind the decision. The Hollywood Reporter states, "sources say reports of the young director’s unusual conduct during the making of Fox’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie had raised alarm among Lucasfilm executives that were entrusting him with the second Star Wars standalone film."

There has been no information yet released about the 2018 film. The first Anthology film, entitled Rogue One, is due out in 2016, directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters). Felicity Jones is to star in the film about rebels setting out on a mission to steal plans for the Death Star.