New Star Wars movie to be penned by game writer Gary Whitta

Former PC Gamer editor-in-chief and longtime games journalist Gary Whitta is set to write a new Star Wars movie.

According to the official Star Wars website, Whitta, whose movie writing credits include The Book of Eli, is working on a standalone movie that will sit alongside the already announced new Star Wars trilogy. The film, due out on Dec. 16, 2016, will be directed by Gareth Edwards, best known for Monsters and Godzilla.

Whitta also contributed to writing Telltale Games' adaptation of The Walking Dead and has worked on games like Duke Nukem Forever, Prey and Gears of War as well as consulting for various games publishers.

"From the moment I first saw the original movie as a wide-eyed kid, Star Wars has been the single most profound inspiration to my imagination and to my career as a writer," said Whitta. "It is deeply special to me to be given the opportunity to contribute to its ongoing legacy, especially in collaboration with a filmmaker as talented as Gareth, is literally a dream come true. I'm still pinching myself."

Polygon has reached out to Whitta for further comment.