It's been quite a few parsecs since "Star Wars" fans had this much to be excited about. Disney bought Lucasfilm for 4.05 billion and announced plans to release three new films in the saga just two weeks ago, and now "Episode VII" looks to have found its writer. Lucasfilm has confirmed Oscar-award-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt will pen the screenplay for the upcoming film.
Nov. 9 we reported that Michael Arndt was being vetted by Lucasfilm as a "leading candidate" to write the screenplay. Arndt had apparently written a 40-50 page treatment for the film that hit the desks of some very prominent directors, and Hollywood decision-makers, according to Vulture. Brad Bird, Steven Spielberg (the former producing partner of Lucasfilm co-chair Kathleen Kennedy), and J.J. Abrams all read the treatment, said the site.
Arndt's treatment "will bring the saga of the Skywalkers, the Force-imbued family comprising Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and twins Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa, to a close in a new trilogy," said The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is said to focus on a new generation of heroes and would feature appearances by Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher in older incarnations of their beloved characters from the original Star Wars trilogy.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Sources have said not to discount the possibility that a number of characters from previous 'Star Wars' films could reappear - even the dead Jedis, who have a habit of showing up in spirit form."
Arndt has become a hot commodity in Hollywood since his Oscar-winning script for "Little Miss Sunshine" and Oscar-nominated writing in "Toy Story 3," and also wrote the script for the upcoming "Hunger Games" sequel, "Catching Fire," which is filming now.
He's also reportedly a "Star Wars" expert, according to Vulture. Clearly, that tidbit makes him a frontrunner immediately for many fans, a sentiment that "Lost" co-creator and writer of the upcoming "Star Trek" film Damon Lindelof echoed, "If this is true, Michael Arndt is the perfect choice. We're in good hands, fellow nerds," he Tweeted.
Arndt has lectured extensively on the art of storytelling at numerous writers' retreats, like the Hawaii Writers Conference in Maui and the Austin Film Festival, always featuring a lengthy and detailed explanation of why the original "Star Wars" ending is so creatively satisfying.
According to Vulture, Arndt had been at work on the treatment long before the deal between Disney and Lucasfilm was announced.
The next step is to find a director. So far, we've heard names like Matthew Vaughn ("Kick-Ass") and Colin Trevorrow ("Safety Not Guaranteed") mentioned by publications claiming to have spoken to "reliable sources." Considering the screenwriter choice Disney made, we have to wonder if there's some credence to those rumors of Disney snapping up Pixar's Brad Bird to direct.
Entertainment Weekly reported Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher were interested in reprising their roles in "Episode VII" earlier last week.
"Harrison is open to the idea of doing the movie and he's upbeat about it, all three of them are," an unnamed source claimed to Entertainment Weekly, referring to the 70-year-old Han Solo actor, along with his original co-stars Hamill, and Fisher.
Hamill revealed he and Fisher had found out about the new films two months ago when Lucas took the pair to lunch. "He said, 'We decided we're going to do Episodes VII, VIII, and IX,'" Hamill told EW.com. "I was just gobsmacked. 'What? Are you nuts?!'"
Lucas biographer Dale Pollock commented on Lucasfilm's sale, and Episode VII at large, and assured fans that Disney will almost certainly be using Lucas's outlines for the next three films. "Writers will absolutely take his outline," Pollock said. "That's in part what Disney bought."