Writer Gary Whitta departs from 'Star Wars' spin-off

Los Angeles: Gary Whitta, who was enlisted to pen screenplay for director Gareth Edwards' upcoming 'Star Wars' spin-off, has quit the Disney project.

It is uncertain as to what prompted Whitta's departure but the split seems to be amicable, reported Aceshowbiz.

"Gary has been a wonderful, inspired contributor and I enjoyed working with him tremendously. I'm so grateful for all of his contributions," Edwards said.

"The year I spent working with Lucasfilm on this Star Wars film has been by far the most rewarding period of my entire career. As a lifelong Star Wars fan I'm deeply grateful to have had the rare opportunity to contribute to a new chapter in its ongoing cinematic legacy. The film is going to be amazing," Whitta said.

It is yet to be known if Disney will hire a new writer for the movie due December 16, 2016, but it is not the first time they are dealing with a writer change when it comes to 'Star Wars'.

In 2013, JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan took over the script-writing duty for 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' after Michael Arndt left due to creative differences.