J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have taken over writing duties for the upcoming "Star Wars: Episode VII."
Michael Arndt, who penned the screenplays for "Toy Story 3" and "Little Miss Sunshine," was originally hired to write the script but it seems that the film's director, and a former "Star Wars" scribe are now in charge of developing the story.
"I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script," said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, according to Variety. "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."
While the change may not affect the larger development of "Episode VII," it could bode poorly for the script. The writing change-up could indicate Abrams and company were not satisfied with Arndt's version. If that's the case, then the script may delay the production, depending on how much work must be done.
And the situation could even be worse than that. Despite Kennedy's claims, the script may not be anything like the company hoped and the inclusion of Abrams and Kasdan may be a case of emergency or crisis control.
There is also no telling how much this decision has to do with Disney, the new owner of the franchise. The company is embarking on its first installment of the reputable franchise and may be trying to control as much of the creative process as possible to avoid the kind of critical backlash the franchise endured during its revival in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"Episode VII" is still slated for release in 2015.
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