8. The Departure Of Michael Arndt
Given that the last three Star Wars movies were written by Mr. George Lucas himself, who has never really proven himself as anything but a visually talented director (seriously, that prequel dialogue was awful), literally any other screenwriter in the world probably would have been a better choice for the likes of Episode VII. So when Oscar-nominated scribe Michael Arndt was revealed to be the man who would pen the next chapter in the Star Wars saga, there was much rejoicing. This was the man responsible for Little Miss Sunshine and - yes - Toy Story 3. Woo! First of all, then, we heard that Arndt had handed in his first draft for the movie, and had also offered up ideas for future installments. Then there was a period of nothingness, whereby everyone presumed he was still working on the script with the likes of Empire Strikes Back writer Lawrence Kasdan (more on him later). Then, out of nowhere, it was revealed that Michael Arndt had left the project due to creative differences. This, of course, doesn't exactly help to inspire confidence in Episode VII: the creative differences were bad enough that Arndt actually left? "It became clear that given the process and the way the thing was going that working with Larry in this way was going to get us where we need to be and when we needed to be," said J.J Abrams on the matter, before adding: "Working with Michael was a wonderful experience and I couldn't be a bigger fan of his or adore him more. He's a wonderful guy and was incredibly helpful in the process. doesn't preclude working with Michael again in the future - he is one of the best writers around." One of the best writers around, but not good enough for Star Wars? Hm.