Gareth Edwards will direct the first ‘Star Wars’ spin-off.
The ‘Godzilla’ director will helm the first of the standalone films, each of which will focus on an individual character from the film franchise, while ‘The Book of Eli’ writer Gary Whitta will pen the script.
‘Star Wars’ creator George Lucas’ production company Lucasfilm made the announcement on StarWars.com yesterday (22.05.14), although there was no confirmation as to which character the spin-off would feature.
Edwards – whose only directing credit before ‘Godzilla’ was the low-budget ‘Monsters’ – has confessed that in addition to his love for classic monster movies, he’s also a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan.
He said: "Ever since I saw ‘Star Wars’ I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life – join the Rebel Alliance!
"I could not be more excited and honoured to go on this mission with Lucasfilm."
Disney previously announced that they intend to release a new ‘Star Wars’ film every year starting with next year’s ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’, meaning the first of "at least three" planned spin-offs would be released in 2016.
‘Star Wars: Episode VII’, which is being directed by J.J. Abrams and stars original cast members Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, is currently shooting in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
Gareth Edwards to direct Star Wars spin-off
