Steven Knight 'to write new Star Wars movie' after Damon Lindelof departure

Steven Knight is to write the new 'Star Wars' movie.

The 'Peaky Blinders' creator - who wrote the screenplays for movies 'Dirty Pretty Things', 'Closed Circuit', and 'Locke' - is said to have replaced screenwriters Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson on the secret sci-fi project, according to Variety.

'Ms. Marvel' director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is still expected to direct the movie, but details about the plot are under wraps.

Further information about the film, including a potential title, are set to be unveiled at the Star Wars Celebration in London in April, with the movie looking increasingly likely to be the next big screen project in the franchise following 2019's 'The Rise of Skywalker'.

In recent years, Disney has prioritised building the 'Star Wars' universe on television with hit shows such as 'The Mandalorian', but a number of new film projects are in development.

The reasons behind the departures of Lindelof and Britt-Gibson have not been disclosed, but the 'Lost' creator had hinted at difficulties in an interview last month.

He told SlashFilm: "I will just say, that for reasons that I can't get into on this Sunday morning, on this day, the degree of difficulty is extremely, extremely, extremely high. If (the film) can't be great, it shouldn't exist.

"That's all I say, because I have the same association with ('Star Wars') as you do, which is, it's the first movie I saw sitting in my dad's lap, four years old, May of '77.

"I think it's possible that sometimes when you hold something in such high reference and esteem, you start to get in the kitchen and you just go, 'Maybe I shouldn't be cooking. Maybe I should be just eating.' We'll just leave it at that point."