Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace effort after a 22-year hiatus following "Star Wars" in 1977. "The Phantom Menace" was released in theaters on May 19, 1999, almost 16 years after the premiere of the previous "Star Wars" film, "Return of the Jedi". The film's premiere was extensively covered by media and was greatly anticipated because of the large cultural following the "Star Wars" saga had cultivated. It received mixed reviews; critics praised the visuals, action sequences, John Williams' musical score and some of the performances, but criticized the screenplay, characterization, and Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd's performances (as Jar Jar Binks and Anakin Skywalker respectively).
Star Wars: Episode IX Walt Disney Company. Disney announced a new trilogy of "Star Wars" films. In August 2015, Colin Trevorrow was announced as the director of "Star Wars: Episode IX". Trevorrow, along with Derek Connolly, would write the script. It was also announced that Rian Johnson, director and writer of "", would create a story treatment for the film; however, in April 2017, Johnson stated he was not involved, claiming it was "old info". In February 2016, Disney chief executive officer Bob Iger confirmed that pre-production of "Episode IX" had begun. At the end of April 2017, Disney announced the film would be