8 Different Versions Of Star Wars Episode VII That Were Almost Made

3. The Force Awakens With Little Focus On The Old Cast

Star Wars The Force Awakens Rey Han Solo
Lucasfilm

When Did It Almost Happen? During the scripting process of The Force Awakens.

One of the first people officially attached to the Disney-produced Episode VII was Michael Arndt, Oscar winning screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3. The guy who created Mr. Pricklepants doing Star Wars? Heck yeah! It wasn't to be, however; Arndt left the project in late 2013, with The Empire Strikes Back's Lawrence Kasdan taking over.

The exact reasons took a while to surface. Originally the tight production timeframe was blamed, but eventually it became apparent the problem was something more ingrained. Arndt's version of the movie had been too forward thinking, relegating returning characters Luke, Han and Leia to supporting roles and pushing younger characters (reportedly their children) front and centre, which clashed with Abrams' view of the film. This whole development accidentally revealed a lot about the approach of The Force Awakens, though ultimately the new cast (John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac) were prominent.

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Film Editor (2014-2016). Loves The Usual Suspects. Hates Transformers 2. Everything else lies somewhere in the middle. Once met the Chuckle Brothers.