J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan now rewriting screenplay — ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’:
Obi-Wan Kenobi said act on instinct — but others might see this as a disturbance in the Force …
Lucasfilm has announced that Star Wars: Episode VII director J.J. Abrams and Raiders of the Lost Ark writer Lawrence Kasdan have taken over screenwriting duties from Michael Arndt, an Oscar winner for Little Miss Sunshine and nominee for Toy Story 3, who had previously been working on the story.
The movie is slated for release in 2015 but no firm date has been set. In its announcement about the screenwriter shuffle today, Lucasfilm said the current plan is still to begin shooting in Spring 2014.
Abrams started out as a screenwriter with such films as Regarding Henry and Forever Young before becoming more genre and sci-fi focused with Alias, Lost, and movies such as Mission: Impossible 3, Super 8, and the Star Trek reboot.
Kasdan has a rich history in the Star Wars universe. While best known as a writer-director of dramas such as Body Heat, The Big Chill and The Accidental Tourist, Kasdan also co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He had been consulting on the development of the new trilogy, which picks up with the Rebellion after the death of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.
Kasdan was also working with screenwriter Simon Kinberg on the development of spin-off prequels being developed by Lucasfilms. Sources tell EW that one film will follow the adventures of young Han Solo, while the other focuses on Boba Fett and his rival bounty hunters.
