Former Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker director Colin Trevorrow announced that he planned to donate all the residuals made from his work on the film to charity. Trevorrow, who has a story credit on the film, plans to donate the money to the Alexander Devine Children's Hospice, a British center in Berkshire. Although the director parted ways with the film before it began production, Trevorrow has been nothing but a cheerleader for the final film in the franchise. Lucasfilm in turn kept Treverrow's writing credit for Episode IX, hence the reason why he will receive the royalties in the first place. Trevorrow's decision was wise and will likely cement himself well with Star Wars fans, even though he is no longer the director for the final film.

Trevorrow was originally slated to direct the film but eventually left after creative differences with Lucasfilm. The writer-director had always been a long-term Star Wars fan, but skepticism surrounding his appointment as director for the final film finally became too overbearing. This came in addition to the film he released prior to being hired, The Book of Henry, bombing at the box office. Trevorrow departed the film on good terms with no bridges burned, saying he would always cherish the experience.

According to Deadline, rather than take the royalties he would have earned from the film for himself, Trevorrow announced that he planned to donate all proceeds to charity:

Through his films, George Lucas taught us about our connection to all living things. He taught us to take care of one another, and he set a powerful example himself. The Alexander Devine Hospice helps families in the most challenging of times. I can’t think of a more fitting way to honor George’s legacy.


The CEO and Founder of the hospice, Fiona Devine, was incredibly grateful for the former director's kind gesture, relaying that it would be the monetary equivalent of paying a nurse for a year. She said that the hospice relies on donations and fundraising just to keep their organization so they can help the more than 1200 Berkshire children in need of their assistance. More than likely, the sheer publicity from Trevorrow's donation will also bring more attention to the hospice with more donations to follow.

While Lucasfilm has not and will likely not release what story threads or ideas were Trevorrow's, perhaps after the film is released more behind-the-scenes information will yield exactly where Trevorrow's stamp was in place. Apparently, his original pitch for the film was so poignant it brought star Daisy Ridley to tears. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now less than a month away, and many unanswered questions still lay in place for fans eagerly awaiting resolution. With the film coming out a few days before Christmas, Trevorrow's donation is a wonderful piece of news to hopefully inspire fans across the world to give back to those in need during the holiday season.

Star Wars 9 / Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) release date: Dec 20, 2019