Although it would be amusing if that Sony email did this, this sounds like another case of the blockbuster screenwriting process, in which the original screenplay is put in the hands of a new writer to work on the stuff that the studio needs to be improved. Whitta still got paid, and unless they throw everything out, he's likely to get a "story by" credit when the film comes out.
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Gary Whitta completed first draft of Star Wars spinoff, moves on
- Thread starter inm8num2
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Leona Lewis
Banned
Bobby Roberts
Banned
The process can be complicated, but it also doesn't have to be. It depends on quite a few things, really.
Still don't know if Arndt's gonna get a "Story By" credit on The Force Awakens, either.
Jack Remington
Banned
He blows anyway.
Almost certainly. Remember how strict the Guilds/unions are about this shit.
DiipuSurotu
Banned
He is "no longer writing" a Star Wars spinoff because he has finished writing it.
This. He's finished his work.
Finished a first draft you mean.
Arndt probably won't due to them seemingly completely tossing his script.
Cow Mengde
Banned
Yeah sure, he's totally going to spill the beans on Neogaf.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
But the article goes on to specify the project will be hiring another writer. Meaning the writing part of the spinoff isn't completed. If he's finished before the script is actually finished, then it's no longer his script.
If there's spin being applied with the wording, it's spin in Whitta's favor.
hipbabboom
Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
With all the malice in the "good" posts in this thread... its highly probable scenario sadly.
RandyBobandy
Banned
All that editing for nothing
Bobby Roberts
Banned
No, it's really unlikely. What's likely is Lucasfilm already knew about his opinions before they ever even sat down with him - and it didn't matter.
This may be the case. THR (and myself
) may have jumped the gun.The main question would be, was he originally meant to work on the script to a final draft? Maybe he saw another project he wanted to work on and made a clean break to finish his first draft and move on?
Seems to be an amicable, mutual split. I feel bad for my click bait title now. I'm sorry, Gary.
edit - Bobby makes a good point a few posts above.
maybe he was just hired for the title page. we don't know!
I have to imagine there are quite a few people working on the new films that hate the prequels. I'm sure it's not a big deal.
I'd be surprised if he didn't get a full screenwriting credit. WGA rules usually protect the first draft writer, especially one so publicly discussed.
There is no way in nine blue hells that this had anything to do with it. Screenwriters do a draft and then go on to another project, while the director/producers bring on a new writer to inject fresh ideas in the next rewrite. There is absolutely no reason to think Whitta's departure from the project wasn't 100% planned and amicable.
ReturnOfTheRAT
Member
All that baffonery of his in an attempt to rewrite history was for naught.
Is there a summary somewhere?
Most likely scenario, imo.
I would hope that a hefty level of critisism for the prequals would be a prerequisite for anyone involved in the new films.
That could certainly be the case. Disney wants this film out in 2016, right?
Yup, December 2016 to fill the gap between Ep7 and Ep8.
One Star Wars movie per year, for the rest of our lives and beyond, starting this December. Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen.
it wasn't him. they hired another writer to redo them.
BUNTING1243
Banned
Come back to Tested, Gary!
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
He edited several posts where he was calling the prequels crap after he got the job.
Hell, if I got to write Star Wars I'd do the same thing. Don't want to jeopardize that.
shira
Member
Some gaffer noticed that he was editing his posts, made a thread about it.
Evilore stepped in and said a pay job was a valid reason to edit.
Technosteve
Banned
Whitta is adapting the wrong millar comic, adapt old man Logan whitta
Bobby Roberts
Banned
This was good.
Which is justifiable IMO.
GAF can be a real dick sometimes.
Yea well Gary's in his nice moderately sized house crying into his moderately sized pile of money.
Circle Jerk
Member
How the hell is going from Star Wars to Miller better for Whitta? How would that be better for anyone?
GavinUK86
Member
He fulfilled his contract and moved on. It happens. It doesn't seem like he was ousted or anything. Just writing drafts seems to be his thing.
Because the Hollywood machine is a powerful one. Mark Millar on the other hand, is just a nice bloke. I can see what I'd prefer to work on if I was Whitta.
Because the Hollywood machine is a powerful one. Mark Millar on the other hand, is just a nice bloke. I can see what I'd prefer to work on if I was Whitta.
With how many concessions Disney had to make for Ep7, they're going to be running a much tighter ship with the first spin-off, so I can't imagine that they'll be doing anything drastic to Whitta's draft in terms of structure to make sure they get it out in time. Some stuff, maybe even a lot of stuff, will get cleaned up and whatnot, but they're not going to rock the boat if the foundation is solid.
This is how the industry goes. He writes a draft, turns it in, they say they want to go a different direction and hire a new writer. If enough of his work remains he may still get a credit, I think there's a writer's guild mediation or something on those. Not that uncommon and nothing too shameful - he's tweeting about it - a bunch of great to awful writers get their stuff rewritten and a bunch of great to awful writers go uncredited for their contributions.
Not making any judgements on Whitta's work on Star Wars specifically
It's not exactly mainline Star Wars and the last we saw of that franchise it was busy pissing off rabid fans across the globe. Quite a big risk sticking your dick in the hornets nest known as "Star Wars fandom".
He's got a much better shot at producing something of quality by doing, almost literally*, anything else.
*Except After Earth 2
DizzyCaffeine
Member
This is standard operating procedure in Hollywood, yet it's being portrayed as a knock against Whitta.
If anything, his agent fucked up.
If anything, his agent fucked up.
For everything this place gets right it always disappoints me to see some people trip over themselves to be shitty towards the guy.
WyndhamPrice
Member
I think this is being reported like it's a much bigger deal than it is, his tweets seem to indicate that he's still going to have credit on this at the end of the day.
The film has to start shooting fairly soon as it is, I doubt they're about to scrap his entire script, especially since he's being so open about his work being done.
The film has to start shooting fairly soon as it is, I doubt they're about to scrap his entire script, especially since he's being so open about his work being done.
Yeah.
Or maybe he was contracted for a certain time, or for a full script (one draft).
It's not the catastrophe people would make it out to be. He got paid, he'll get credit, he'll move on to another film or whatever.
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