( EW.com ) -- Obi-Wan Kenobi said act on instinct â€ ” but others might see this as a disturbance in the Force . Lucasfilm has announced that `` Star Wars : Episode VII '' director J.J. Abrams and `` Raiders of the Lost Ark '' writer Lawrence Kasdan have taken over screenwriting duties from Michael Arndt , an Oscar winner for `` Little Miss Sunshine '' and nominee for `` Toy Story 3 , '' who had previously been working on the story . The movie is slated for release in 2015 but no firm date has been set . In its announcement about the screenwriter shuffle today , Lucasfilm said the current plan is still to begin shooting in Spring 2014 . Abrams started out as a screenwriter with such films as `` Regarding Henry '' and `` Forever Young '' before becoming more genre and sci-fi focused with `` Alias , '' `` Lost , '' and movies such as `` Mission : Impossible 3 , '' `` Super 8 '' and the `` Star Trek '' reboot . 'Star Wars : Episode VII ' will be filmed in the United Kingdom . Kasdan has a rich history in the `` Star Wars '' universe . While best known as a writer-director of dramas such as `` Body Heat , '' `` The Big Chill '' and `` The Accidental Tourist , '' Kasdan also co-wrote `` The Empire Strikes Back '' and `` Return of the Jedi . '' He had been consulting on the development of the new trilogy , which picks up with the Rebellion after the death of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine . Kasdan was also working with screenwriter Simon Kinberg on the development of spin-off prequels being developed by Lucasfilms . Sources tell EW that one film will follow the adventures of young Han Solo , while the other focuses on Boba Fett and his rival bounty hunters . 'Star Wars ' spin-offs : A young Han Solo movie , and a Boba Fett film . It 's not clear what role Arndt will have moving forward . Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy characterized the change-up as a positive in her statement . `` I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script , '' she said . `` There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a 'Star Wars ' story works like Larry , and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen . J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right . Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production . '' Massive productions like this typically go through multiple rewrites , so it would be premature for anyone to have a bad feeling about this just yet . While Abrams and Kasdan get the script in shape , pre-production for `` Episode VII '' remains underway . The plan is to shoot mostly at London 's Pinewood Studios , but exterior locations are being scouted , nearly every actor in the business is trying to land a role with the casting department , and sets and costumes are being designed in preparation for those actors to inhabit when principal photography gets underway . See the original story at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have taken over screenwriting for `` Episode VII '' Michael Arndt had previously been working on the story . The movie is slated for release in 2015 but no firm date has been set . In addition to his work with Star Trek, he also wrote the script for the TV series Alias ( which was cancelled after one season ) as well as several episodes of Stargate SG-1.