‘Safety Not Guaranteed’ Duo Not Attached To New Star Wars Films

Ever since Disney bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas, who is currently building his own working Death Star out of Cheetos, we’ve been keeping our guard up for an onslaught of bogus rumors, and rightfully so. I mean, as if Harrison Ford would actually play Chewbacca and Shi LeBeouf would play Han Solo. I can’t believe people expected us to believe that. But there have been some solid, accurate rumors, including Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt writing an Episode VII treatment, so maybe we’re getting to the good stuff now.

Today’s first Star Wars report is a total bummer, because despite earlier reports of the contrary, Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly are not going to be the duo behind the new era. As it turns out, the Safety Not Guaranteed director and writer (respectively) will be working for Disney, but it’s for a remake of yet another childhood classic, according to Variety.

Two of Sundance 2012’s breakout stars are preparing for another adventure, as the “Safety Not Guaranteed” team of Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly have been hired to rewrite Disney’s “Flight of the Navigator” remake, which will be developed with as a potential directing vehicle for Trevorrow.

“‘Flight of the Navigator’ wasn’t a seminal movie of my childhood but I remember liking it and the original meant a lot to Colin as a kid, so it’s really his baby. It’ll be good to have some balance so it’s not two fanboys writing the movie,” Connolly told Variety.

This is a typical “You scratch Mickey’s back, and we’ll scratch yours” deal, as Trevorrow and Disney have already reached a deal on one of his other projects. It’s just a shame that Flight of the Navigator will be remade and The Last Starfighter slips a little further into the void. (Call me, Sony!)

How about some good Star Wars news? Also being stirred up in the rumor mill name hat were writers Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg, who were presumably writing Episodes VIII and IX to follow up Arndt’s script for VII. The news was all but confirmed by everyone close to the writers, but it hasn’t been confirmed nor denied by Disney, and that’s because it’s both true and not true. Yes, they have been hired to write Star Wars films. No, they aren’t necessarily writing Episodes VIII and IX.

But now insiders tell THR that while Kasdan and Kinberg have indeed been hired to work on the Star Wars franchise, they will be writing separate projects (hence the reason why they also would receive producer credits), not necessarily Episode VIII and Episode IX.

Their scripts could turn into official “Episodes” in the main Skywalker storyline, or they could form the basis for spinoffs focusing on side characters. Disney CEO Robert Iger said the goal is to release a Star Wars movie “every two to three years,” and some could easily focus on other pieces of the expansive mythos (similar to Marvel’s Avengers universe). Disney and Lucasfilm declined comment. (Via THR)

It’s funny that even Disney and Lucasfilm are sweating Marvel’s Avengers model, because Kasdan and Kinberg could write Jar Jar Binks and the Great Ewok Rape Caper and it would make $250 million the first weekend.

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