It looks as though Star Wars spin-off writer Gary Whitta has left the upcoming film… but not before submitting his first draft.
Star Wars fans will know that Whitta had been working alongside Godzilla director Gareth Edwards on the first upcoming spin-off movie. But now it seems that the seasoned film writer has left the project for pastures new… but I can’t help thinking this was all part of the plan.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Whitta has now exited the Star Wars spin-off movie… but what comes next is still up for debate.
“[Gary Whitta] has now left the project, which will likely hire a new writer,” they explain. “Sources say Whitta is now moving on to his next project, which is unknown at this time.”
Of course, Whitta soon took to Twitter in order to clarify a few things… and it looks as though he’ll be heading up scriptwriting duties on 20th Century Fox’s Starlight, based on a comic book by Mark Millar.
“The year I spent working with Lucasfilm on this Star Wars film has been by far the most rewarding period of my entire career,” he said in a statement. “As a lifelong Star Wars fan I’m deeply grateful to have had the rare opportunity to contribute to a new chapter in its on-going cinematic legacy. The film is going to be amazing.”
Of course, Gary Whitta’s exit at this stage reflects the sudden departure of Michael Arndt from Star Wars VII. And although little was known of the reasons at that time, it looks as though this is Disney and Lucasfilm’s current business plan – using a selected writer to submit a first draft before fine-tuning the screenplay.
Obviously, it’s sad to see Whitta leave the galaxy far, far away… but I can’t help feeling just a little excited at the prospect that the upcoming spin-off is starting to take shape. And it won’t be long before we start to get some new details about this exciting new chapter in the galaxy far, far away.
What will the spin-off movie entail? For now, we’ll have to wait and see. But with talk of smugglers, pirates and bounty hunters, it sounds as though it’s going to be an exciting way to start the spin-off franchise.
Are you looking forward to the first Star Wars spin-off? What do you think it will be about? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
