As pre-production of Star Wars: Episode VII begins, Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film. As revealed in the ongoing video series posted here on StarWars.com, Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas have begun story conferences with Arndt. Arndt won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for writing Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing Toy Story 3 (2010).
I didn't really give an opinion but my only drawback is he has little sci-fi experience that I can tell, so I wonder how that will play. However, if Kennedy and Lucas were commenting on a "Star Wars fan" director, I'd bet money Arndt has a love for the property already, so I'm hoping we are in good hands.
A day after THR reported that Michael Arndt has been working with Lucasfilm for several months on a treatment for the new Star Wars movie, Lucasfilm has confirmed that the Toy Story 3 scribe will write the screenplay for Episode VII.
Arndt had written a 40- to 50-page treatment that 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. 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.
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.
The next step for Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy, who is overseeing the production of the new movies for Disney, is to hire a director. One name popping up consistently amongst insiders is Brad Bird, though insiders say no choice has been made and Bird already is working on another top-secret sci-fi project for the studio.
Arndt, repped by Verve, is described as a huge Star Wars fan and well-versed in the lore of the mythology. He won an Oscar for his script for Little Miss Sunshine and was nominated for his work on Toy Story 3, helping make the Pixar movie the most emotional of the three. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire.
I didn't really give an opinion but my only drawback is he has little sci-fi experience that I can tell, so I wonder how that will play. However, if Kennedy and Lucas were commenting on a "Star Wars fan" director, I'd bet money Arndt has a love for the property already, so I'm hoping we are in good hands.
Where'd you get an idea like that? The only thing Kennedy says in the two official 'Future of Star Wars' videos is that they were sitting down with various writers to discuss the potential direction that the stories for the new films might go, but she was obviously being coy in making said statements, which she absolutely should've been.
Where'd you get an idea like that? The only thing Kennedy says in the two official 'Future of Star Wars' videos is that they were sitting down with various writers to discuss the potential direction that the stories for the new films might go, but she was obviously being coy in making said statements, which she absolutely should've been.
Michael Arndt, eh? It's great that they have someone now, it's better that it's someone this good, and it's better still that apparently he's been at work for a while. I feel better about this than I have. Not good, but better than I have.
I think it's possible they were talking to different writers separately at one point but Arndt went above and beyond with his treatment and won the gig.
I just hope that, as this will be a new trilogy, that they have laid out the overall story and beats for it, and not just the one. If there's an overall story that is.
If the stories aren't connected, then cool, but that would be a shame.
I know what she said; however,people were taking the line to literally mean 'two writers' when she clearly meant it to be nebulous with regards to how many writers they were actually working with.
@mr peasant: TheDreamMaster beat me to it, but, in this case, 'ST' means "Sequel Trilogy", just as 'PT' means "Prequel Trilogy" and 'OT' (which I think ought to be done away with) means "Original Trilogy".
Keep in mind this is not the final writer most likely. teres a 99% chance their will be a revision writer and most likely the director will get a final rewrite as well.
I just hope that, as this will be a new trilogy, that they have laid out the overall story and beats for it, and not just the one. If there's an overall story that is.
If the stories aren't connected, then cool, but that would be a shame.
There is a story for VII-IX, but involved an alternate ending to Jedi, so they'll probably just loosely adapt the outline rather than strictly follow it.
Keep in mind this is not the final writer most likely. teres a 99% chance their will be a revision writer and most likely the director will get a final rewrite as well.
This is not always the case. If they feel solid about it the director like in any film may make some tweaks, but that does not mean that they will necessarily bring some one else in. Michael Ardt is a damn good screen writer, unless they don't like it (which they clearly do like it) I doubt they will bring others in.
This is not always the case. If they feel solid about it the director like in any film may make some tweaks, but that does not mean that they will necessarily bring some one else in. Michael Ardt is a damn good screen writer, unless they don't like it (which they clearly do like it) I doubt they will bring others in.
Movie are usually a collaborative process. Writing a movie is like writing an essay in English class to some degree there are many many drafts and ideas that edited and modified and usually the final product looks nothing like what the original started off as. Thats the real difference between the originals and the prequels. The originals underwent vast changes and had multiple editors and writers while the prequels just had George who wrote maybe 3 or 4 drafts and called it done. They might not bring in someone else for a complete rewrite but there will definitely be others involved in the writing process.
You don't announce that a writer is working on the script if he/she is only doing some 'polishing' or crafting a 'first draft' that is going to be taken and given to someone else. Arndt is writing this film; his script will likely be vetted by Lucas and Kennedy, but it will, in the end, be his script; he'll take whatever notes he gets from Lucas and Kennedy and incorporate them into his script before he hands it in to them as his final draft.
If Arndt were going to have a credited co-writer, that person's name would've been part of the announcement yesterday.
Movie are usually a collaborative process. Writing a movie is like writing an essay in English class to some degree there are many many drafts and ideas that edited and modified and usually the final product looks nothing like what the original started off as. Thats the real difference between the originals and the prequels. The originals underwent vast changes and had multiple editors and writers while the prequels just had George who wrote maybe 3 or 4 drafts and called it done. They might not bring in someone else for a complete rewrite but there will definitely be others involved in the writing process.
Well of course they are collaborative process. There is a difference between draft writing, and having a producer/director/others look at it and say "I would change this or what about this?" Then having Michael go back and re-write draft after draft. That is common. But there is a difference between that, and having another writer come in and re-write the script, or having a ghost writer. I would bet they keep Michael on board to keep a single voice, but of course others are going to say change this do this how about this kind of ordeal.
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