Even though the next Star Wars movie is due in 2015, it’s surprising to see that things could be coming together very quickly already for Episode Seven.
The news first broke that George Lucas sold his empire to Disney and there would be three more Star Wars flicks last week, which caused immediate speculation as to who help the next episodes go into hyperspace.
Fan wish lists were drawn as to who would be great to take over Lucas’s legendary space saga, and as we reported on TG, it wasn’t even a week before rumors surfaced that Matthew Vaughn (Kick Ass, X-Men First Class) was up to direct, and that Harrison Ford was actually open to coming back, even though he’s not exactly fond of the Han Solo character. Now word has gotten out that Episode Seven may also have a writer, and it’s certainly an interesting choice with Pixar and The Hunger Games experience on his resume.
The individual who may indeed write Episode Seven is Michael Arndt, who penned Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine, and the current Hunger Games installment, Catching Fire, which is filming right now. According to Vulture, there’s already a treatment that’s already been written that’s 40 or 50 pages long.
This has clearly caught the biz by surprise, because who knew this deal was coming down in advance, or that anybody was actually writing another Star Wars film? In today’s day and age, to keep a secret like this without any leaks is quite an accomplishment. As we mentioned above, Harrison Ford is reportedly open to coming back for Episode Seven, and Disney brass would like Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia to come back as elders for Episode Seven as well.
What’s also interesting is with the rumor of Matthew Vaughn being up to direct Episode Seven, because Vulture reports that once the treatment is finished, it will go to the biggest directors you can think of, including Brad Bird, Spielberg, and JJ Abrams. (Spielberg would be an interesting choice, and it would be a trip to think what he could do with it).
One director who isn’t interested is Zack Snyder, who’s got Man of Steel coming up next summer and for good reason. “I’m a huge Star Wars fanatic,” he said to the L.A. Times. “I just think doing [episodes] seven, eight and nine is just a slippery slope. It’s a whole other mythological experiment I’m excited to see, but it’s a lot of effort.”
So whether all of this, or none of this, will play out, we’ll find out soon enough, but clearly not until Lucas is ready to let the cat out of the bag.
Update: Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film.
