While the revelation of finally seeing Episode VII hit theaters was enough to give any Star Wars fanboy a nerdgasm, the idea of other spin-off films is simply the icing on the cake. Now we learn that the first out of the gate has received its director.
His name is Gareth Edwards and you probably know him from the big mark he’s recently left on the movie industry (and I do mean BIG). His latest reimaging of Godzilla just did huge box office numbers. In a recent press release, Disney/Lucasfilm tout their upcoming project and the new director’s involvement. “In addition to the episodes of a new ” Star Wars ” trilogy, Lucasfilm and Disney have begun development on multiple stand-alone movies that will offer new stories beyond the core Saga. Gareth Edwards will direct the first stand-alone film… Gareth Edwards blazed into the filmmaking forefront with his acclaimed work on ” Monsters ”…the skill and vision readily apparent…earned him the high-profile spot directing this year’s smash hit ” Godzilla .”
The press release also lists Gary Whitta as screenwriter, who reveals what it’s like to have the opportunity to write a new story involving characters and places that astonished him as a child. “From the moment I first saw the original movie as a wide-eyed kid,” Whitta said ” Star Wars has been the single most profound inspiration to my imagination and to my career as a writer. It is deeply special to me, so to be given the opportunity to contribute to its ongoing legacy… is literally a dream come true.”
While the subject of whom or what the first spin-off will focus on has not yet been made official, we do know the release date is set for December of 2016.