‘Star Wars: Episode VII’: J.J. Abrams Discusses Michael Arndt’s Departure

Star Wars: Episode VII director J.J. Abrams recently shed some light on the departure of screenwriter Michael Arndt.

While promoting the upcoming sci-fi series Almost Human, the discussion soon turned to the fate of the next installment of George Lucas’ beloved saga. More specifically, Abrams briefly talked about Arndt’s departure from the sequel.

“Working with Michael was a wonderful experience and I couldn’t be a bigger fan of his or adore him more. He’s a wonderful guy and was incredibly helpful in the process,” the director explained.

Abrams continued, “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 need and when we needed to be.”

Many fans were a little shocked to learn that Arndt was no longer helping out with Star Wars: Episode VII. Rumors suggested that Empire Strikes Back scribe Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams were starting over from scratch with the new script. This led many to believe that Disney could postpone the film’s release.

Since there’s absolutely no wiggle room in the studio’s Star Wars timeline, Abrams and Kasdan will need to work around the clock to get the screenplay in tip-top shape. Filming on the highly-anticipated follow-up is presently scheduled to begin early next year.

The Inquisitr previously reported that Star Wars: Episode VII should arrive in theaters on December 18, 2015. Fans of the franchise can choose between seeing the flick in 2D or 3D. Despite rumors of turmoil behind the scenes, Disney is apparently set on getting the flick up and running in a timely fashion.

A source recently told The Hollywood Reporter that this sort of drama tends to follow major Hollywood productions around. In other words, fans shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about any possible troubles they stumble across on the internet.

“It’s nothing out of the ordinary. Almost every big movie changes writers at some point. There’s no drama here,” the insider told the publication.

Regardless of what happens with the script, it’s clear that Abrams has a love of the Star Wars franchise. The filmmaker recently told Metro that he was originally drawn to the first film because the characters and their relationship were simply “wonderful.”

“The first ‘Star Wars’ movie was so brilliant in its construction, execution, casting, design. I’d never seen anything like it. It brought a huge heart and sense of humor into a world, which blew my mind. I saw it at 11 and remember being completely rocked,” he explained.

Are you looking forward to J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII?

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