The force is strong with Academy Award winning screenwriter Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine). Along with penning the Tom Cruise sci-fi thriller Oblivion and adapting Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games: Catching Fire for Lionsgate, Arndt will now write the script for Star Wars: Episode VII.

In case you’ve been in a coma or are a Star Trek geek, Disney purchased Lucasfilm LTD in October for $4.05 billion in stocks and cash. Plans for a new Star Wars trilogy, beginning with Episode VII to be released in 2015, soon followed.

Arndt made his Oscar-winning screenwriting debut in 2006 with the irreverent comedy Little Miss Sunshine (Best Original Screenplay). He followed that up with the Academy Award nominated Toy Story 3 (Best Adapted Screenplay).

Photo: Team Coco