Star Wars spinoff screenwriter Gary Whitta departs Disney project

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/12/star-wars-spinoff-screenwriter-gary-whitta-leaves

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The screenwriter Gary Whitta has left the forthcoming Star Wars spinoff movie, which Godzilla’s Gareth Edwards is directing for Disney.

Whitta, best known for the Hughes brothers’ apocalypse drama The Book of Eli and the poorly-reviewed Will and Jaden Smith sci-fi adventure After Earth, has not yet been replaced.

“Gary has been a wonderful, inspired contributor and I enjoyed working with him tremendously,” said Edwards in a statement. “I’m so grateful for all of his contributions.”

Whitta said: “The year I spent working with Lucasfilm on this Star Wars film has been by far the most rewarding period of my entire career. As a lifelong Star Wars fan I’m deeply grateful to have had the rare opportunity to contribute to a new chapter in its ongoing cinematic legacy. The film is going to be amazing.”

Whitta and Edwards had been working on the film since May last year. Disney revealed the existence of the spinoff, tipped to be the first of many, the same month.

It has not yet been confirmed which character the new film will focus on, but Disney previously announced a series of “origins” movies to be released in the gaps between its new Star Wars trilogy. They are expected to centre on figures from the original triptych of films released between 1977 and 1983, with Boba Fett, Han Solo and Yoda all considered strong candidates.

JJ Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII, the first Star Wars movie since Disney’s $4.05bn purchase of all rights to the long-running space saga in October 2012, completed shooting at Pinewood Studios in November. The studio replaced the Oscar-winner Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) with Lawrence Kasdan, the screenwriter behind The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, in October 2013.

Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled for release in December 2015.