Trevorrow and his writing partner, Derek Connolly, have been working on the script, but sources say a fresh set of eyes was needed. It is unclear how extensive the rewrites will be.

Rian Johnson wrote and directed Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth installment of the sci-fi fantasy that opens Dec. 15.

Force Awakens stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac are expected to return — but you never know who a Star Wars movie may kill off, so don't get too comfortable — with the ninth installment eyeing a production start in January 2018.

The movie has a scheduled release date of May 24, 2019.

Thorne is the creator or co-creator of several British television shows, dramas and thrillers, including The Fades, The Cast-Offs, The Last Panthers and National Treasure.

While those don't sound like the Star Wars wheelhouse, his writing on two more recent programs brings him closer: His Dark Materials, the BBC's adaptation of the fantasy by Philip Pullman, and Philip K. Dick's Electric Sheep for Channel 4.

He is repped by UTA.

Kim Masters contributed to this report.

Aug. 1, 5:03 p.m. Updated to reflect that the script for Episode IX is not based on a treatment by Rian Johnson.