TWILIGHT: NEW MOON Director to Pen Gareth Edwards' STAR WARS Spin-Off

When writer Gary Whitta (amicably) left Godzilla director Gareth Edwards' upcoming Star Wars spin-off, rumors circulated that Simon Kinberg would take his place. It sounded like a good fit, and the geek crowd was happy: Kinberg has either written or produced other Star Wars films, X-Men, Star Wars Rebels, Sherlock Holmes, and The Fantastic Four, so this spin-off seemed to be in good hands. But it turns out that's not happening after all.

THR reports that Twilight: New Moon writer Chris Weitz has boarded the project as a replacement for Whitta. Weitz - who directed The Twilight Saga: New Moon along with features like The Golden Compass - also wrote Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Antz, and The Golden Compass, so I wouldn't call this an upgrade. Weitz also wrote and directed About a Boy, which certainly has its fans but doesn't really inspire confidence that he's able to handle a big sci-fi spectacle. I assume he'll be punching up elements of Whitta's previous script, but with projects like this, it's tough to figure out who contributed what when all is said and done. We'll have to hope that this turns out for the best.

Edwards' untitled spin-off movie is set to hit theaters on December 16th, 2016.