There is bad news and maybe a little good news today regarding the script for Star Wars Episode VII.
The bad news is that Michael Arndt, the Toy Story 3 screenwriter given the duty of crafting the script for Episode VII, is out, according to The Wrap.
So who's taking over? Well, director J.J. Abrams himself is now going to be co-writing the film with Lawrence Kasdan, who up to this point has been a "consultant" on the reactivatedStar Wars franchise.
The not-so-good news on that front is that Abrams, while a solid director, isn't exactly renowned for his writing abilities. Many felt that Super 8 -- his sole screenwriting credit to date -- was a letdown, and he is the guy who signed off on the very divisive screenplay forStar Trek Into Darkness, even if he didn't write it himself.
The potentially good news is that Kasdan, the man who co-wrote the best Star Wars film,The Empire Strikes Back (not to mention Return of the Jedi and Raiders of the Lost Ark), is now actively working on Episode VII.
In a statement posted at StarWars.com, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said this:
I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script. There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a ‘Star Wars’ story works like Larry, and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen. J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right. Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production.
That production, by the way, is now slated to begin in "spring 2014," and not February as previously reported. And with Abrams and Kasdan just now getting to work on their version of the script, could the rumored push from a summer 2015 release to December 2015 be official soon as well?
What do you think this all means? Does it bode well for Episode VII, or is this a sign of major trouble?
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