Michael Arndt, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his addition to the Disney-Pixar franchise and previously won an Oscar for his Little Miss Sunshine screenplay, has been tapped to pen the script for Episode VII

Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM

The Disneyfication of Star Wars is in full force.

Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his addition to the Disney-Pixar franchise and previously won an Oscar for his Little Miss Sunshine screenplay, has been tapped to pen the script for Episode VII in the venerable series, Lucasfilm confirmed Friday.

Arndt had already penned a 40- to 50-page outline for Star Wars 7 and was considered a top candidate for the job.

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The mill has also churned out word that Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will make appearances in the hugely anticipated sequel, though not as Leia and Luke, seeing as how the film will feature the characters at more of a Return of the Jedi age.

Neil Blomkamp, Darren Aronofsky, Alfonso Cuarón and some young upstart namedSteven Spielberg have also been bandied about as possible directors.

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When Disney announced that it had acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, it also thrilled generations of fans with the news that, not only is Episode VII due in 2015, but that two more sequels were in the works, to be released two to three years apart.

"If this is true, Michael Arndt is the perfect choice," Lost executive producer and Star Trek scribe Damon Lindelof tweeted yesterday, whe

Michael Arndt, who penned Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3, has been tapped to write the screenplay for “Stars Wars: Episode VII,Lucasfilm confirmed Friday.

CaptionLooks like the Disney and Lucasfilm families are already beginning to blend.

Arndt, whose screenplay for 2006’s “Little Miss Sunshine” earned him an Academy Award, also wrote the highly anticipated “Hunger Games” sequel, “Catching Fire” (currently in production).

Fellow Hollywood scribe Damon Lindelof (“World War Z,” “Prometheus,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”), Tweeted his excitement over the “Stars Wars” news on Friday, writing, “Michael Arndt is the perfect choice. We’re in good hands, fellow nerds.”

As for who will direct the film, many top-notch names have been rumored to be in the mix (including J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau), butSteven Spielberg will definitely not be signing on.

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Access caught up with Spielberg on Thursday night at the premiere of his latest film, “Lincoln,” where we asked the longtime friend and collaborator of George Lucas about the possibility of directing the upcoming “Episode 7.”

“No! No! It’s not my genre,” he explained. “It’s my best friend George’s genre.”

-- Erin O’Sullivan