Following The Book of Eli scribe Gary Whitta’s departure from Godzilla director Gareth Edwards’ upcoming Star Wars spinoff, a new screenwriter has been recruited to explore the galaxy far, far away – About a Boy co-director/co-writer Chris Weitz (who received an Oscar nomination for his work on that screenplay).
Whitta left the untitled project after working on and completing a first draft over the course of a year, but it’s unclear how much of his vision for the spinoff will actually make it to theaters. The prolific Simon Kinberg was rumored to have replaced him as scribe, but it now appears that Weitz has been tapped to pick up the pen and take a swing at the Star Wars spinoff.
In addition to his work on About a Boy, Weitz is known for writing the upcoming Cinderella adaptation, directing and penning The Golden Compass, helming mega-blockbuster The Twilight Saga: New Moon and directing eventual Oscar nominee Demian Bichir in A Better Life.
As for exactly what the spinoff will entail, that much is still unclear. Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Kate Mara (Fantastic Four) are all testing for a role, and rumors about the project point to it centering on a group of bounty hunters who steal plans for the first Death Star. If those plot details are at all accurate, then it’s also possible that, as rumored, Boba Fett and Han Solo will make appearances.
It’s going to be a long while until we hear anything concrete about Edwards’ spinoff. Though the director disappointed with Godzilla, and his debut Monsters hardly appears in line with the blockbuster spectacle of the new Star Wars films, the possibility that actresses as stunningly talented as Maslany, Jones and Mara (both of them) could wind up in his Star Wars contribution is tremendously exciting.
