Star Wars Episode VII Rumor: Luke, Leia and Han Will Be the Movie’s Focus

According to a story at The Hollywood Reporter, some of the rewrites that J.J. Abrams and Lawrence […]

September 6, 2017, 7:40pm

According to a story at The Hollywood Reporter, some of the rewrites that J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan are doing to the Star Wars Episode VII script are designed to increase the roles of the heroes from the original Star Wars Trilogy, setting the stage for Episodes VIII and IX.The report suggests that while original screenwriter Michael Arndt’s screenplay focused on the next generation of Jedi, with comparably small roles for Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and Han Solo, those ratios may shift between now and the time the movie is shot, giving fans one more adventure with the Old Guard before shifting focus to the kids for the remainder of the trilogy.Earlier reports had suggested that a release timeframe was the central bone of contention that led to Academy Award-winner Arndt withdrawing from writing the film–but according to the THR report, it was all about story and a disagreement over the shift in attention to the old characters.

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“Arndt is said to have focused on the offspring of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), with the original trilogy heroes taking on supporting roles. Abrams, however, wanted Episode VII to focus on the classic trio of characters, so audiences could have one more chance to enjoy them before a fitting send-off. The new characters, the offspring, will now be in supporting roles, according to these sources, and take center stage in Episode VIII and IX. Some characters have disappeared from the Arndt script and new ones are being drafted. “Star Wars creator George Lucas, who directed the 1977 original and each of the most recent trilogy, was also involved in the debate, according to insiders. But Lucas, who sold his Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, acquiesced to Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy, who now runs Lucasfilm.” The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars