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Director Gareth Edwards, coming hot off his rebooted take on Godzilla, which was a critical and commercial success, has just booked his next gig, and it’s a big one. Edwards has just been handed the keys to the first Star Wars spin-off film, which is currently untitled, but is due out on December 16, 2016. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, which the Official Star Wars website quickly confirmed, with this to say:
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, with a screenplay by Gary Whitta. The film is due out December 16, 2016.
Gareth Edwards blazed into the filmmaking forefront with his acclaimed work on Monsters, a film he wrote, directed and served on as cinematographer and visual effects artist. The skill and vision readily apparent in Monsters earned him the high-profile spot directing this year’s smash hit Godzilla.
“Ever since I saw Star Wars I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life – join the Rebel Alliance! I could not be more excited & honored to go on this mission with Lucasfilm, said Edwards.
Gary Whittas screenwriting credits include 2010s The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington. He is also well known as a journalist and editor in the video game industry, as well as part of the BAFTA award-winning team on Telltale Games adaptation of The Walking Dead.
Whitta states, “From the moment I first saw the original movie as a wide-eyed kid, 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, especially in collaboration with a film-maker as talented as Gareth,is literally a dream come true. I’m still pinching myself.”
It’s all very interesting, and I can’t wait to see what film it is that Edwards is set to direct. There’s a lot of rumors from a standalone films revolving around both Boba Fett and Han Solo, so maybe he’s landed one of those. It’s truly exciting times to be a Star Wars fan, and Edwards is immensely talented, so I’m glad to see he’s landed this gig. He went from being almost unknown to the keys to the biggest franchise of all time over one week, and he’s going to do excellent things with it.
Are you excited for Edwards getting a chance to play in the Star Wars universe? Let me know in the comments below!
