Michael Arndt set to Draft STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

Following earlier reports regarding the screenwriter behind the new Star Wars Trilogy (read the article here) we now have a definitive confirmation about whether or not Michael Arndt will indeed be lending his pen to a galaxy, far, far away.

Here’s the statement released by Lucasfilm:

As pre-production of Star Wars: Episode VII begins, Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film. As revealed in the ongoing video series posted here on StarWars.com, Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas ave begun story conferences with Arndt. Arndt won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for writing Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing Toy Story 3 (2010).

According to previous rumors about the script, the new story would see the return of the principal three characters made famous in the original trilogy, but in what capacity remains to be seen.  Considering that each of these actors (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill) on their own have indeed expressed some amount of interest in reprising their roles the future of this Disney owned property is certainly getting interesting.

So what do you guys think of this confirmation?  Is the Academy Award winning writer behind Little Miss Sunshine, the upcoming Oblivion and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire adaption up to the challenge of the Star Wars universe?  Do you want someone else to write it?  Sound off with your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly