Having worked on the likes of THE BOOK OF ELI and AFTER EARTH, screenwriter Gary Whitta has brought his time on STAR WARS to an end for now. Whitta had been working on the first of the standalone trilogy of STAR WARS films, which will be directed by MONSTERS and GODZILLA’s Gareth Edwards. Whitta’s next move? That’d be penning the big screen adaptation of Millarworld’s STARLIGHT, a job he was announced for back in September.

On the news, Edwards told The Hollywood Reporter, “Gary has been a wonderful, inspired contributor and I enjoyed working with him tremendously. I’m so grateful for all of his contributions.”

Whitta himself said, “The year I spent working with Lucasfilm on this STAR WARS film has been by far the most rewarding period of my entire career. As a lifelong STAR WARS fan, I’m deeply grateful to have had the rare opportunity to contribute to a new chapter in its ongoing cinematic legacy. The film is going to be amazing.”

The writer then took to Twitter over the weekend, saying, “My year of work in a galaxy far, far away is done! I’m onto my next project, adapting @markmillar’s STARLIGHT for 20th Century Fox!” On that, Millar added, “Can I just officially say how excite about @garywhitta starting the Starlight screenplay? He’s Hollywood’s top Gary IMHO. Hang on. I just remembered Busey and Lorraine Gary from Jaws. But @garywhitta is definitely up there near the top.”

After the two KICK-ASS movies and WANTED, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE is the next Millarworld property to be adapted for the big screen, officially released in the UK on January 29th. STARLIGHT had the movie rights snapped up by 20th Century Fox before the comic book had even been written, such is the reputation that Millar and his collaborators have built up at this stage of the game, especially when you also throw in the reputation Millar built for himself based on his work for the likes of DC and Marvel as well as his own characters. Oh, and if you’re asking, us personally, we’d have to go with long-time STARBURST fave Lorraine Gary on the Gary front.

As for as the plot goes, STARLIGHT is officially described as follows:

So much for retirement! Meet Duke McQueen, a man who has long since settled down and left his days of saving the Universe and operating as the space hero everyone depended on – at least that’s what he thought. His wife long passed and his kids off embarking on their own adventures, Duke lives a quiet, solitary life until he receives an unexpected call from a distant world, calling him to action one last time.

Simon Kinberg will serve as a producer on the STARLIGHT movie, although no release date has been given at this stage. STARLIGHT: VOLUME 1, by Mark Millar and Goran Parlov is released on February 24th. As for Gareth Edwards’ STAR WARS movie, that’s currently set for a December 16th, 2016 release.

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