THR reports that About A Boy writer-director Chris Weitz has landed the fanboy gig of a lifetime; writing the script for next year’s Star Wars standalone movie.
After screenwriter Gary Whitta’s departure from the Gareth Edwards-directed spinoff, X-Men scribe Simon Kinberg emerged as the rumoured frontrunner for the position. Considering he produced the Star Wars Rebels animated series and previously penned a spinoff draft, he was an understandable choice.
Still, it’s a breath of fresh air to have Weitz, who’s not normally associated with the genre, now tapping away at the keys. His biggest film credits include The Golden Compass, Demian Bichir-starrer, A Better Life, and Twilight: New Moon.
With Weitz in place to work his magic, the next point of interest surrounding the project is casting. Testing is well underway in L.A. to secure the female lead, with Rooney Mara, Felicity Jones, Tatiany Maslany and Kate Mara all linked to the part.
The spinoff is expected to revolve around a bunch of bounty hunters who steal the blueprints for the first Death Star. It hits cinemas on 16th December 2016.
