Somewhere in a galaxy far, far away, a new writer has climbed aboard director Gareth Edwards’ Star Wars standalone spinoff. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oscar-nominated scribe Chris Weitz will be replacing writer Gary Whitta, who recently completed a first draft of the film and has moved on to adapt Mark Millar’s Starlight.

A noted screenwriter, producer, and director, Weitz is best known for writing and co-directing 2002’s About a Boy, directing the Oscar-nominated A Better Life, and producing American Pie. It’s worth noting that Weitz also penned The Golden Compass, Antz, and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Oh, and he directed The Twilight Saga: New Moon. I’m still bitter about what happened to Philip Pullman’s masterpiece on the big screen, but I’m trying to keep an open mind. All in all, Weitz has a pretty good track record, and he may well be the writer that Star Wars has been waiting for.

Weitz’s addition and the news that actresses like Tatiana Maslany and Rooney Mara were testing for roles in Los Angeles means that production on the project is spooling up like so many hyperdrives.

The as-yet untitled Star Wars spinoff is set to release on December 16, 2016.

Image: Star Wars 1313 concept art