Word on the street the past couple of days has been that Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt has penned a treatment for the new Star Wars installment and would likely write the screenplay. After weeks of mere speculation and rumors about the upcoming Episode VII, there is finally some definite news to report.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lucasfilm has confirmed that Arndt will write the new Star Wars script. If the final screenplay follows his treatment, the new film will continue the Skywalker tale, introducing new heroes and including appearances from Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher (who has already said she's interested in participating).
Arndt has some good credentials behind him. He won an Academy Award for Little Miss Sunshine, and he was nominated for another Oscar for his Toy Story 3 screenplay. He has also co-written the script for the second Hunger Games film, Catching Fire.
His credits display a promising combination of humor, emotion, adventure and fantasy, concepts which are extremely important to the Star Wars saga, especially if the studio wants to return to the glory of the original films. Arndt is also apparently a huge fan of the films and is knowledgeable about the Star Wars universe.
The next answer fans want is who will direct the new installment. Brad Bird keeps getting mentioned in rumors, but no definite choice has been made.