It looks like Disney may have found a screenwriter for Star Wars Episode VII. It's being reported that the studio is looking to hire Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt to take on the challenge of helping bring Star Wars back to the big screen! Arndt has also written films such as Little Miss Sunshine, Oblivion and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
According to Vulture, insiders close to the production say that Arndt has already written a 40 to 50 page treatment for the film. He will most likely end up being at least one of the writers on the film, which is set to starr shooting in 2014 for a 2015 release.
Vulture's source also confirms previous statements that we've reported on that the studio wants to bring back the three main characters of the original Star Wars trilogy... Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo. As of right now, there are no deals set in place with any of the actors, but it sounds like the studio will be getting around to it in the near future.
It was also reported that the treatment will be sent to directors Brad Bird, Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams. How amazing would it be if one of these directors signed on to the project?! Arndt is a solid choice to take on the project, he's a big fan of the Star Wars franchise, and talks about it frequently. During the 2010 Austin Film Festival Arndt stated "that if a writer could resolve the story's arcs (internal, external, philosophical) immediately after the Moment of Despair at the climax, he or she would deliver the Insanely Great Ending and put the audience in a euphoric state. The faster it could happen, the better. By [Arndt’s] reckoning, George Lucas hit those three marks at the climax of Star Wars within a space of 22 seconds."
Arndt explained the third act a little further at the 2009 Hawaii Writers Conference, "its central characters' main goals all are met on pages 89 through 91 of the original Lucas script: At the crescendo of Star Wars, a spectral Obi Wan urges, 'Use the Force, Luke,' and he does, thus reaching his inner goal (fighting self-doubt to become a hero). Han Solo reappears (meeting the philosophical goal of overcoming selfishness with altruism) to shoot down Darth Vader, which allows Luke to use the Force to mentally guide his shot and blow up the Death Star (outer goal and inner goals simultaneously met)."
Seems like Arndt is indeed the right man for the job. I can't wait to see what he comes up with if he ends up writing the script! What are your thoughts on Arndt writing Star Wars: Episode VII? Who would you like to see direct it?