Star Wars Episode 7 Loses Writer Michael Arndt

By JG Moore / October 25, 2013

official Star Wars website that the drafts of the script that Arndt has already submitted will be reworked by director JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, the co-writer of Episodes V and VI as well as Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy made this statement:

"I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script. 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."

No official reason has been given for Arndt's departure and production seems to be progressing at a steady pace with principal photography still set to take place at Pinewood Studios next spring, so it seems unlikely that Abrams and Kasdan taking over scriptwriting is a sign of another troubled Disney production. But Arndt leaving the production so close to filming certainly raises the question of if there are strained relations behind the scenes. But since the co-writer of three of Lucasfilm's most celebrated features will now be at least co-writing the whole Sequel Trilogy, I personally think that the change in writers is a move in the right direction as a thematic and tonal bridge to the Original Trilogy will be an important component of the new films. Even though it comes at the cost of losing a talented writer like Michael Arndt. Do you think this change will benefit the film? Let us know in the comments section below...