Star Wars Spin-Off Writer: 'I Want A Fresh Start'

Screenwriter Star Wars spin-off movies, one of which he is writing.

The veteran scribe - who wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi - told the LA Times that he was keen to make a break from the previous movies in the sci-fi franchise.

"I'm trying to start fresh. There are certain pleasures that we think the saga can bring to people that they've been missing, and we're hoping to bring them that, and at the same time, have them feel that it's all new.

"The ones I worked on were a long time ago, and they had a slightly different feeling than the ones that followed. The first three, Star Wars, Empire and Return Of The Jedi, are all sort of more about people than the ones that followed."

And he also suggested that George Lucas' departure from the franchise - having sold Lucasfilm to Disney in a megabucks deal - would enable the forthcoming movies to take a new direction.

"George sort of brought me into this part of it, and he's stepping back from the company. He's sort of given his blessing to everybody, and he'll be there if you need him.

"I think everyone's interested to see where this can go. It's been some very different places over 30 years. I think with JJ, we'll get something entirely new."

JJ Abrams is directing Star Wars Episode VII.