There is definitely a disturbance in the Force, but Episode VII director J J Abrams and writer Lawrence Kardan are on the case. Michael Arndt, who previously won Oscars for his work on Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3, has pulled out of the project. However, a Lucasfilm announcement, via Entertainment Weekly.

JJ Abrams, Star Treck Into Darkness Premiere
Abrams has taken over co-writing duties after Arndt's departure.

The change isn’t expected to delay the start of shooting in the spring of 2014. The movie itself is slated for a 2015 release, although no specific date has been announced yet. While Abrams is new to the Star Wars universe and, coincidentally, the first director to have worked on both Star Trek and Star Wars films, Kasdan has a lot of experience with the franchise. He co-wrote both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. That’s not all, since the writer is also currently consulting on the development of the entire new trilogy. Outside of his Star Wars writing, Kasdan has also worked on dramas such as Body Heat, The Big Chill and The Accidental Tourist.

Abrams, on the other hand, has been something of a wildcard for Lucasfilm, with plenty of fans on edge after the release of his Star Trek Into Darkness, which received controversial reviews. While he is known mostly as the director of films like Mission: Impossible 3, Super 8, and of course the Star Trek reboot, Abrams originally started out as a screenwriter, working on projects like Regarding Henry and Forever Young. 

Lawrence Kasdan, Toronto Film Festival
With Kasdan (above) and Abrams on writing duty, production will be going ahead as planned.