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Lawrence Kasdan (born January 14, 1949, in Miami, Florida) is an American movie producer, director and screenwriter. George Lucas commissioned Kasdan in 1979 to complete the screenplay for The Empire Strikes Back after the death of Leigh Brackett. Lucas then commissioned Kasdan to write the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark, followed by Return of the Jedi. Kasdan, along with screenwriter Simon Kinberg, will serve as a consultant on the upcoming film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, and both are working on additional standalone Star Wars films.
Biography
Raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, where he graduated from Morgantown High School in 1966, he went on to attend the University of Michigan as an education major.
After working as a freelance advertising copywriter, the introduction of Kasdan into the film business came in the mid-1970s when he sold his script for The Bodyguard to Warner Bros. as a vehicle for Diana Ross. The script became stuck in "development hell" and became one of several scripts successively called "the best un-made film in Hollywood"; it was eventually produced as 1992 film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. Kasdan made his directing debut with Body Heat in 1981.
Kasdan is known for both writing and directing his films, which have ranged from Westerns to romantic comedies to, most prominently, thought-provoking rams. He has received four Academy Award nominations, for screenplays to The Big Chill, Grand Canyon, and The Accidental Tourist, for which he also earned a directing nod. He has cast Kevin Kline in five of his films.
Disney Star Wars films
Reports first surfaced on November 20, 2012 that Kasdan, along with screenwriter Simon Kinberg, would be co-producing all three films of the upcoming Star Wars sequel trilogy, and would share writing responsibilities with Kinberg on Star Wars Episodes VIII and IX.[3] Subsequent reports, citing insider confirmation, suggested that Kasdan and Kinberg would indeed be writing Star Wars projects, just not necessarily Episodes VIII and IX.[4] StarWars.com confirmed on January 25, 2013 that Kasdan and Kinberg will be serving as project consultants on Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, to be released in 2015.[5] On February 5, 2013, Disney confirmed that the two were working on new standalone films, not Episodes VIII and IX as reported two and a half months earlier.[2]
Bibliography
- The Empire Strikes Back Notebook
- The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
- "[[]]" — Star Wars Insider 49 - Interview with Scott Chernoff
- "Launch Pad" — Star Wars Insider 146
- Star Wars: Episode VII Adds Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie on StarWars.com (backup link (star-wars-episode-vii-adds-academy-award-winner-lupita-nyongo-and-game-of-thrones-gwendoline-christie.html) not verified!)
- "Launch Pad" — Star Wars Insider 150
- "Insider Looks Back" — Star Wars Insider 150
Notes and references
- ↑ Master Filmmaking Team Announced for Star Wars: Episode VII on StarWars.com (backup link (news/master-filmmaking-team-announced-for-star-wars.html) not verified!)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Disney Confirms Standalone Star Wars Films; May Be Released Between New Core Episodes
- ↑ 'Star Wars': Lawrence Kasdan, Simon Kinberg to Write, Produce - Hollywood Reporter on The Hollywood Reporter (November 21, 2012) (backup link not verified!)
- ↑ Post-George Lucas 'Star Wars': How Writers Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg Will Expand the Galaxy - Hollywood Reporter on The Hollywood Reporter (November 28, 2012) (backup link not verified!)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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External links
- Star Wars Is Being Kick-Started with Dynamite J.J. Abrams to Direct Star Wars: Episode VII on StarWars.com (backup link (news/star-wars-is-being-kick-started-with-dynamite-jj-abrams-to-direct-star-wars-episode-vii.html) not verified!)
- Lawrence Kasdan on Wikipedia
- Lawrence Kasdan at the Internet Movie Database