14 DAY TRIAL // Last month, word got out that director J.J. Abrams, on board to helm Disney’s upcoming “Star Wars VII,” would also be taking over writing duties from Larry Kasdan, who previously worked on “Empire Strikes Back.”
In a statement to Deadline, Abrams confirms that he’ll be handling the script, but he makes it clear that Kasdan is still on board. He also hints that they might work again on the future “Star Wars” films Disney is planning to release in the coming years.
In other words, he’s not replacing Kasdan for writing duties, they’re actually a team.
“It became clear that given the time frame and given the process and the way the thing was going that working with Larry in this way was going to get us where we need to be and when we needed to be. Working with Larry Kasdan, especially on a Star Wars movie is kind of unbeatable,” Abrams says.
Unfortunately for fans, he doesn’t offer any details about the plot – so J.J. Abrams of him, as fans must know – or about the production. So far, we know that the movie will shoot in London in early 2014 and that Disney is eyeing a December 2015 release.
The studio has also said that they will be releasing more movies at the rate of one a year, if possible.
Being so tied up with “Star Wars” means that Abrams won’t return to helm “Star Trek 3,” much to the disappointment of fans of this other huge film franchise.