Rumor: Simon Kinberg To Take Up Gary Whitta's Standalone Film Script?

Slashfilm is reporting that Star Wars Rebels executive producer and The Force Awakens story consultant Simon Kinberg will be taking over for screenwriter Gary Whitta on the first standalone film.

"We're labeling this a rumor," writes Slashfilm's Germain Lussier, "but we're confident it's true."

Whitta left the film, which will be directed by Gareth Edwards, on January 9, after turning in a complete draft. It is not unusual for film scripts to undergo multiple revisions by different writers. Kinberg's status as a Rebels EP and episodic film story consultant means that he is about as knowledgeable as a creative executive could be about the direction of the Star Wars franchise in the near- to middle-term future. Tapping him to move Whitta's script forward would be a sensible move if Disney wanted people already steeped in franchise decisions to handle these script revisions.

Lucasfilm has not commented on Slashfilm's report. Gareth Edwards' standalone film will be released on December 16, 2016.

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