Star Wars Stand-Alone Film Selects Chris Weitz As New Screenwriter

01/26/2015 07:19 pm EST

The Star Wars stand-alone spin-off has found a new writer.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie Gareth Edwards is set to direct will be penned by Chris Weitz.

Weitz will replace Gary Whitta who vacated the project after completing a first draft of the script.

In addition to being a screenwriter, Weitz is both an accomplished director and an author. His credits include an Oscar nomination for his adapted screenplay for About A Boy which he co-directed. His other works include The Golden Compass and Twilight: New Moon.

The forthcoming film is one of two Star Wars spin-offs Disney has in development.

The film has a release date of Dec. 16, 2016, a year after The Force Awakens hits theaters.

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