Although all of the public focus is currently on the looming release of ‘Star Wars: Episode 7,’ Disney, Lucasfilm and director Gareth Edwards are currently trying to whip the first standalone film in the saga into shape. A few days ago, original screenwriter Gary Whitta amicably departed the project after completing his initial draft, leading the entire internet to wonder what’s next for this mysterious project, which is still due out in 2016. Now, it looks like the next screenwriter writer has already been found. Enter Simon Kinberg.

The scoop comes to us via Slashfilm, who couldn’t confirm the report but stand by it. So take all of this with a grain of salt.

Even if Kinberg’s name doesn’t ring a bell, chances are strong that you know his work. He began his career writing blockbuster action movies like ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith,’ ‘Jumper’ and ‘Sherlock Holmes’ before becoming a major creative force in Fox’s ‘X-Men’ franchise. Yeah, he wrote the poor ‘X-Men: The Last Stand,’ but he also scripted the far superior ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ and the upcoming ‘X-Men: Apocalypse.’ He also contributed to that upcoming ‘Fantastic Four’ movie we still know nothing about.

More importantly, Kinberg has been quietly working with Lucasfilm for the past few years, developing God-knows-what from his position deep inside an impenetrable Disney compound. If the earliest announcements are still relevant, he’s also writing the second standalone film for director Josh Trank, which isn’t set to arrive until 2018. Heck, he’s even a credited producer and creator on ‘Star Wars Rebels.’ So his hiring makes perfect sense. If anyone can get this project ready for its late 2015 start-date, it’s Kinberg.

We still know very little about what this movie is going to be, but rumors have suggested that it will be a heist movie set right before the first ‘Star Wars,’ following a team of bounty hunters who steal the Death Star plans that ultimately end up in the hands of the Rebel Alliance. We certainly hope there’s some truth to that. An ‘Ocean’s 11’ meets ‘The Dirty Dozen’-style movie set in the ‘Star Wars’ universe directed by the man who made ‘Godzilla’ sounds like a good time at the movies.

Hopefully, Kinberg (or whoever comes after him) can make everything click on paper.

More From KEAN 105