STAR WARS: Simon Kinberg To Write Gareth Edwards' Standalone Film?
Last week, The Hollywood Reporter learned that After Earth screenwriter Gary Whitta was no longer attached to Gareth Edwards' Star Wars standalone film. Today, Slash Film says that he is being replaced by Simon Kinberg.
Last year, Gary Whitta ("Book Of Eli") was hired to write the screenplay for Gareth Edwards' Star Wars spinoff film, which is rumored to be about Boba Fett. Late last week, we found out that Whitta was exiting the project to begin work on his next screenplay, which is said to be Mark Millar's Starlight. According to Slash Film, a new writer has been chosen to replace Whitta and it will be X-Men: Days of Future Past scribe Simon Kinberg. Seems like a good choice as Kinberg is quite familiar with the Star Wars universe. He's an executive producer for the animated series Star Wars Rebels and was previously hired to pen another standalone Star Wars film.
Primary among those questions was, if Whitta is out, who will be taking over the writing duties on the December 16, 2016 release?/Film has learned, but was unable to confirm, that it will be Simon Kinberg. At Lucasfilm, Kinberg is a consultant on The Force Awakens, a writer and producer on Star Wars Rebels, and writer of at least one standalone movie. Whether or not that became this film or is another remains unclear. But Kinberg will be taking over duties for Whitta on this movie.
Star Wars: Episode VII - Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film. It's being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.