CONFIRMED: 'Toy Story 3' Scribe Michael Arndt Will Write the Screenplay for 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

Lucasfilm has confirmed the rumor that Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII. From StarWars.com:

As pre-production of Star Wars: Episode VII begins, Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film. As revealed in the ongoing video series posted here on StarWars.com, Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas have begun story conferences with Arndt. Arndt won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for writing Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing Toy Story 3 (2010).

This is excellent news. George Lucas received the screenplay credits for all three movies that made up the Prequel Trilogy ... and we know how that worked out. To go from that to the guy who wrote the script for Toy Story 3, a movie that was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, is quite the upgrade. So far, so good, Disney.