ST Lucasfilm Confirms: Michael Arndt To Write Screenplay For Episode VII

Like Lost?

Don't get me wrong... it was a great series... up until a point. Eventually the plotlines they were coming up with just to have more mysteries were so far off the deep end it took me out of the story, no longer asking "what's going to happen?" No, instead I was just like "This is ridiculous". It became tooo unbelievable and because they were perpetually adding more and more, and making it all even more complex, you never really felt like any of the reveals were of value to you by the time they showed you the proverbial man behind the curtain. Because I was already invested, I stayed along for the ride (was watching on Netflix) and I feel like they didn't really even do an effective job of wrapping it up because they gave themselves more lose ends than they could tie up. There are many questions, major questions in the series I feel like still weren't answered.

Then again, Star Wars has a beginning, middle and and end so hopefully they can plan it all out. They were going to keep that television show going for as long as possible so they had to keep adding more and more and eventually the ideas were bound to become absurd as they tried to top themselves, I suppose.

 

You know another show that lasted much longer, spawned two movies, and didn't wrap anything up?


The X-Files

 

The X-Files got way too involved in its own mythology... to the point where it became difficult to watch and even care. I really liked the show (earlier seasons) and I thought the first film worked quite well, surprisingly, as a standalone.

 

No the second one was standalone and it sucked royally.

 

Second X-Files is an odd one. The plot was hugely disappointing, but the characterization of Scully and Mulder was excellent, from the ambiguity of their relationship to details like neither one so much as holding a gun throughout the entire movie. I'd probably rather see X-Files 3 than Episode VII if I had to choose one. On topic, um, maybe Arndt could write X-Files 3!

 

Yeah, I was thinking Lost.......and Prometheus. Both projects had great potential, but were ultimately ruined by a 'mystery box' that proved to be empty. And for that reason, I avoid Lindelof's work at all costs.

 

Everything was hugely disappointing. The only salvageable thing was Skinner's cameo.

 

Hey! Arndt made it to the poster / official writing credits! Check it out!



The writing credits, for those paying attention (I am!) the poster says "Lawrence Kasdan & JJ Abrams and Michael Arndt" (For those who know, if there's a "&" sign, the two writers worked together but the word "AND" usually implies someone cleaning up a draft). If Ardnt is listed as co-writer, it means at the very least the general shape of the story's plot structure that he came up with is still there (check out how Joss Whedon has a co-writer - with the word "AND" separating them - on The Avengers but Whedon didn't work with him once, the broad strokes of the Avengers first draft are still there in Whedon's film). And Ardnt worked with Lucas, which was based off Lucas' treatments. So, broad strokes / whatever George wrote on a cocktail napkin, is informing the movie.

 

Or Twin Peaks. But at least the insanity was part of its creator's charm.

 

We might get a good film the second time around

 

Assets were already in place when Kasdan came on board, so he had to create a story using those fragments. I'd say those assets were the result of the early development meetings with Arndt, and that's why he has a credit.

As for a "good film", everything points to TFA being that at the very least.

 

Congrats Mr. Arndt on the co-writing credit.

 

Kasdan was on board long before Abrams. Sets started being built and locations secured only after Abrams was hired and decided what he wanted to do. There are no tie fighters or x-wings in any of the production art that came before Abrams' arrival. I'd bet my bottom dollar that Abrams brought the rehash.

Arndt was working on non-Lucas ideas when Disney decided to explore other avenues than Lucas' ideas, long before Abrams came on board. My guess is that Disney wanted more familiarity than Lucas delivered, and not until JJ's rewrite did it become a full on reboot of the original. Arndt probably wasn't delivering enough known iconography because he probably cared more about story than branding.

JJ admitted as much when he said that he felt his job was to introduce Star Wars to those unfamiliar with it. Translation: reintroduce the stuff that people already think of as Star Wars. To football fans, not nerds. Just like Star Trek.

If I had to fan fic the behind the scenes orders by Abrams it would be: "Build a new cantina, a desert set, a forest location, a snow planet, and a new death star set. Bring back ties, x-wings and stormies. We'll figure out the story later."

 

Good post. I would love to one day read Arndt's treatment. I'm hoping the Blu-ray Behind the Scenes features present a candid look at the initial creative process..

 

And like that, this thread has been resurrected.

 

An awful lot of what you've put there is your own conspiracy theories, rather than claims. I think the truth, however, probably, as with most things in life, falls in the middle. How do you know that Arndt was working on non-Lucas ideas, for example? I thought it was the general consensus that that’s exactly what he was working from. Where did you hear that?

 

I meant when Kasdan took over from Arndt. Kasdan was a consultant as part of the Story Group prior to this, but was not developing the actual story until Arndt was dropped.

 

Show me. Also, Arndt was fired because he didn't even write a script, according to Kasdan. Just a bunch of notes.

 

So basically JJ is the uncreative devil cos theres x wings, the desert and an Imperial set in the new Star Wars movie? Star Wars ships and locations in a Star Wars movie??? The mighty Lucas and Ardnt would never have that!! What does this have to do with the actual story
Like, relax guy.

 

There is an online interview with Kasdan and he explains Arndt's story had no clear focus/direction. It was just ideas without a strong narrative core. Kasdan mentioned time was running out to get the screenplay done. Arndt's story was going nowhere fast so they ditched it.

 

I never had any problem with how Twin Peaks ended.

 

I was mainly referring to David Lynch's confession that he doesn't know where he's going when he throws mysteries into the plot. You can see how he just wings it in behind the scenes of things like Inland Empire. I like it though, at least it's not promising anything.

 

How's Annie?

 

David wasn't an intergral part of the TP team during season two. Sure he was consulted, but the ending of it was all Mark Frost. (Twin Peaks is still my favourite TV series).