E
very since it was announced that Disney purchased Lucasfilm and has already planned to release a new Star Wars trilogy, rumors of all shapes and sizes about what the next trilogy will be about have been running more wild than Hulkamania in 1987. It’s hard to sort the fact from the fiction, so we’ve refrained on reporting on the rumors floating out there until it has been confirmed by a source with some worthy credentials. Well, that time has come… and it’s clear that Disney has put one of its best and brightest on the next Star Wars trilogy.
Though it was rumored throughout the day, Deadline has confirmed that Oscar-winner Michael Arndt has not only been tapped to write Episode VII, but he has also written treatments for the entire next trilogy. While that name may not be instantly recognizable, the films that Arndt has written are: Little Miss Sunshine (his debut and Oscar-winning screenplay), Toy Story 3, and the upcoming The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Arndt actually started developing ideas for the next trilogy long before the purchase was final, which George Lucas likely approved before signing the final documents to sell his empire to Disney for $4 billion (or he could’ve just said “fuck it, give me the billions.”) Rumors continue to persist that roles have been written for the return of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia, with all three actors keen on returning (although when Alex and I saw Carrie Fisher at Comic-Con… well, let’s just say she enjoys having a good time and leave it at that. Okay… we’re pretty sure she was drunk.)
Less concrete rumors about the director for the first installment of the next trilogy have bounced around the Internet, which gives Disney’s “wishlist” as Brad Bird, JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg (curiously, Lucas’ first choice to direct Return of the Jedi was Spielberg and he served as an Assistant Director for Episode III for directing some of the dueling scenes). With Abrams working on the Star Trek franchise I’m not sure that he’d be up for doing both franchises, but hey, who would say no to directing the next Star Wars?
Recent Comments