When Disney hired Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) and Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class) to write a couple of new Star Wars movies, almost everyone assumed it would be episodes 8 and 9, even though it was never really specified in the report. So I figured since Disney planned on making two to three Star Wars movies a year, that these could easily end up being spin-off projects that would focus other pieces of the epic universe. It looks like that's exactly what is going down.
THR is reporting that the two writers will be working on separate Star Wars projects, and they won't be Episodes 8 or 9. They will be expanding the universe. "Their scripts could turn into official “Episodes” in the main Skywalker storyline, or they could form the basis for spinoffs focusing on side characters."
Of course Lucasfilm won't confirm or deny any of this but it makes sense to have a couple of solid writers working on expanding the universe, especially since it's all part of the plan. I just can't wait to see what these spin-off movie turn out to be. To see what characters they will follow, and what stories they will tell! It's an exciting time to be a movie geek and a Star Wars fan!
Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) has already written a lengthy treatment for the new trilogy and he's now writing the script for Star Wars: Episode VII.
I always thought the bounty hunters were awesome. What characters would you like to see get their own films?