Star Wars Episode 7

[JasonEvans]

Here is the article I wrote for the WSJ on the future of Star Wars. I interviewed a few Star Wars superfans and some movie news dudes and just put all their answers into one article.

My favorite answer was this one:

Jimmy Mac: Yoda said “Always in motion the future is.” The fear of the unknown has caused some fans to become outraged at this announcement. But for the most part, “Star Wars” fans are excited and pumped up for the silver screen expansion of the saga in Episodes 7,8,9, and beyond. We will be talking about this on The ForceCast for months and years to come. Fan speculation is the backbone of the anticipation for any new “Star Wars” film. Here’s where the fun begins. We have only planted the seed…We haven’t even watered it yet!

-Jason "like it, tweet it, comment on it, and Facebook it... my writing career thanks you " Evans

[Wander]

Lucas is going to exert a fair bit of creative input on the new films and you can bet he does not want his new Star Wars to follow the vision of someone else. It would be an admission that Lucas is out of ideas and has nothing of value to add any more. Not going to happen.

I guess I'm a little bit more hopeful - Lucas has acknowledged the books/comics/games/etc in his recent interviews as part of the universe, and he has exerted some amount of control over their stories before (usually just in the form of forbidding the killing of certain characters). Plus, there's at least some small precedent - I'm pretty sure the city-planet of Coruscant was introduced in the Thrawn books.

I'd predict one of two things. Either (1) he sets the movies far into the future after Episode 6, where the non-movie material hasn't ventured and the whole continuity thing is basically a non-issue, or (2) he at the absolute least uses the same names and very basic character sketches, even if the story is his own, and the main characters come from the following list of names: Jaina, Jacen, Anakin, Ben, Allana.

I think a couple of the book storylines in particular would make great trilogy adaptations and I'm holding out some naive hope for that, but the above two options I think are more likely.

[brevity]

Count me among those looking forward to new movies. I wish fans wouldn't feel so possessive of the original trilogy. If they can create their own universe with action figures in their backyard, why can't professional filmmakers do the same? Even if it's full of bad ideas -- like The Phantom Menace -- I feel a little less betrayed knowing that they aren't George Lucas' bad ideas. Also, if Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull taught us anything, it's that we can mentally block out a bad franchise extension when absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, the Internet is going nuts over director speculation. With all those voices, you'd think there would be some diversity of opinion. But no: Chris Nolan, Joss Whedon, JJ Abrams, and almost no one else.

If they really want to pass the baton, they could go with...

Written by: Lawrence Kasdan
Directed by: Jake Kasdan

Easy enough.

[bjornolf]

Even then, Palpatine and Yoda weren't in 4, right?

I would guess that the sequels don't really correspond to his original plans for them given how much time has passed and how many other stories have been written, except for the loose theme of "passing down your knowledge" (I think I remember Lucas saying he'd want a sequel trilogy to be about Luke training a new generation, or something along those lines).

I was going by "were somewhere around the SW universe during" as opposed to actually being in the movie. The Emperor and Yoda (I think) are both mentioned in Episode IV.

[Edouble]

I was going by "were somewhere around the SW universe during" as opposed to actually being in the movie. The Emperor and Yoda (I think) are both mentioned in Episode IV.

Emperor, yes: "before the dark times, before the Emperor!" --Obi-Wan

Yoda is first mentioned when Luke has his frostbiten vision on Hoth, but not in IV.

[Edouble]

Lucas' original 9-episode story that he outlined many years ago is out the window. The 3 prequels that were made most recently did not correspond to the supposed stories he had laid out and there is no way he can do 7-8-9 as he planned them back then because everyone says Luke, Han, and Leia are not likely to be main characters in the new movies (many folks believe Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher have no desire to revisit the characters, even for a boatload of money).

Interesting that you should mention Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, as if I had to choose one of the 3, I would say that there is no way that Harrison Ford would ever play Han Solo again. He said as much in one of those pre-Oscars Barbara Walters interviews a while back (~10 years ago?). She asked him if he would ever want to play Jack Ryan again, and he said he was getting too old. She asked him if he would ever play Han Solo again, and he said that there wasn't much left to do with the character as far as character development, and that it didn't really interest him. She asked him if he would play Indiana Jones again and he said "In a New York minute". Of course, he went on to play Indiana Jones again.

Also, I know most die hard Star Wars fans know that Harrison Ford pushed for his character to die in Return of the Jedi, and of course it didn't happen. I always felt that Han was a little softer around the edges in Jedi, and that Ford was just kind of phoning it in during the last film. So, I would add Harrison Ford into the group of those that would not revisit the role, even for a boatload of $$$. I'm sure he's sitting on a bigger pile of money than the other two, and he went kicking and screaming a bit into the last film.

Honestly, none of those 3 have aged that well. It's not like we're looking to cast Bruce Willis or Meryl Streep. With Carrie Fisher's drug abuse and Mark Hamill's weird face thing after that car accident, I'm not really sure I'm dying to see them up on the big screen again. I mean, I don't think that Hamill looks as good now as Alec Guinness did in Episode IV.

[OldPhiKap]

Emperor, yes: "before the dark times, before the Emperor!" --Obi-Wan

Yoda is first mentioned when Luke has his frostbiten vision on Hoth, but not in IV.

I thought it was "before the Empire" but it has been a long time.

[94duke]

I thought it was "before the Empire" but it has been a long time.

I think you are correct, but the emperor is mentioned during the meeting with Vader and Tarkin on the Death Star:

"The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us. I've just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away."

[DukeHoo]

Meanwhile, the Internet is going nuts over director speculation. With all those voices, you'd think there would be some diversity of opinion. But no: Chris Nolan, Joss Whedon, JJ Abrams, and almost no one else.

While I personally like the idea of Joss Whedon directing, I also feel Brad Bird, Matthew Vaughn, and Neil Blomkamp would be strong choices. I also wouldn't mind seeing Rian Johnson and Guillermo del Toro's names being thrown around there. Personally, I think Bird (prior Disney connections through Pixar and an impeccable filmography) and Vaughn (big Star Wars fan and just dropped out of the X-Men First Class sequel) would be the best options. The only issue with Whedon is that he'll be working on Avengers 2 at around the same time.

Also, I want Michael Bay and Brett Ratner to stay far, far away from this movie.

[JasonEvans]

My choice as director would be Danny Boyle. Have you seen Sunshine? He can do sci-fi just fine and would be a director who would really focus on the characters and the story. After that, I would go with Brad Bird.

I would not be at all sad with JJ or Nolan or Joss. But, I think all 3 of them want to do their own thing more than doing a thing with Lucas breathing down their necks. Joss' Avengers schedule would make Star Wars impossible for him unless you put it off until 2016 or 2017, I imagine.

--Jason "I'd want to see Elysium (summer 2013) before I went all-in with Neil Blomkamp. He has District 9 in his corner, but nothing else yet. A bit more track record required, IMO" Evans

[Dukefan1.0]

Maybe Disney could take new Star Wars movies away from the original trilogy timeline and focus on increasing/rebuilding the Star Wars universe within the Knights of the Old Republic timeline established by the Bioware/Obsidian video games and surrounding comic book series which is set 4000 years before the trilogy by focusing on characters such as Revan with his prominent role in large conflicts like the Mandalorian War and the Jedi Civil War, the Qel-Droma family who came before that in the Great Sith War with Exar Kun, and the first Jedi Purge that followed the Civil War.

There are plenty more story lines from the comics that are set before and during the events I mentioned above these are just some I thought of at the top of my head. For me a movie that is not based on the timeline from the original trilogy would be refreshing because of the sheer amount of other plot lines that are not Skywalker/Vader related. Because when the prequels were released the movie timeline grew stale to me and it was refreshing to explore a new part of the Star Wars universe with Kotor which was released in 2004 between Attack (2002) and Revenge (2005).

This idea maybe taboo to the older crowd who grew up with the original trilogy, but I think it would be a nice change to see a movie based in the Old Republic timeline that introduced new main characters not named Obi-wan, Vader, or Skywalker.

[bjornolf]

Maybe Disney could take new Star Wars movies away from the original trilogy timeline and focus on increasing/rebuilding the Star Wars universe within the Knights of the Old Republic timeline established by the Bioware/Obsidian video games and surrounding comic book series which is set 4000 years before the trilogy by focusing on characters such as Revan with his prominent role in large conflicts like the Mandalorian War and the Jedi Civil War, the Qel-Droma family who came before that in the Great Sith War with Exar Kun, and the first Jedi Purge that followed the Civil War.

There are plenty more story lines from the comics that are set before and during the events I mentioned above these are just some I thought of at the top of my head. For me a movie that is not based on the timeline from the original trilogy would be refreshing because of the sheer amount of other plot lines that are not Skywalker/Vader related. Because when the prequels were released the movie timeline grew stale to me and it was refreshing to explore a new part of the Star Wars universe with Kotor which was released in 2004 between Attack (2002) and Revenge (2005).

This idea maybe taboo to the older crowd who grew up with the original trilogy, but I think it would be a nice change to see a movie based in the Old Republic timeline that introduced new main characters not named Obi-wan, Vader, or Skywalker.

They could certainly do that, but based on the chronology of using the episode structure, I doubt they would do that and call it episode VII. Maybe after they do the third trilogy, they will explore other options, but I doubt they do it at first.

[DukeHoo]

Ah Danny Boyle...I had forgotten about him, though not about Sunshine. That was a great sci-fi movie. If Blomkamp can pull off Elysium, he can probably pull off a Star Wars movie.

I would be fine with the Knights of the Old Republic timeline (I'm a huge fan of those games), but I have a feeling that we're going to get something different than that (possibly derived from whatever film treatments Lucas has lying around).

[moonpie23]

get joss to write it....brad to direct it...

[JasonEvans]

get joss to write it....brad to direct it...

You sure you want Joss' sense of humor injected into Star Wars? I mean, we all loved some of the lines by Han in Star Wars and Empire that made us smirk, but I don't think w want to go all the way to the cutesy hijinx of Ewoks, Jar-Jar, and C3PO's head stuck on a droid body. Blech!!

Then again, Joss is a master at injecting humor that works with the story and does not seem cheesy, so I would trust him. You know, Joss should just submit the script for Serenity and change some of the names of the characters. Mal has a ton of Han Solo in him, River is Jedi-like and could be Leia's daughter, Wash is sorta like C3PO.

And what do you have against Brad Bird as a writer? He wrote Iron Giant, Incredibles, and Ratatouille. Dude is a genius if you ask me.

I think Star Wars will go forward with the Skywalker clan at its center, not back to the Old Republic days. If you disconnect it from the Skywalkers, I worry that it stops being Star Wars and sorta becomes just another sci-fi film.

-Jason "Serenity rocked so hard!!! If you have not seen Serenity or Sunshine, see them both... NOW!!" Evans

[OldPhiKap]

You sure you want Joss' sense of humor injected into Star Wars? I mean, we all loved some of the lines by Han in Star Wars and Empire that made us smirk, but I don't think w want to go all the way to the cutesy hijinx of Ewoks, Jar-Jar, and C3PO's head stuck on a droid body. Blech!!

Then again, Joss is a master at injecting humor that works with the story and does not seem cheesy, so I would trust him. You know, Joss should just submit the script for Serenity and change some of the names of the characters. Mal has a ton of Han Solo in him, River is Jedi-like and could be Leia's daughter, Wash is sorta like C3PO.

And what do you have against Brad Bird as a writer? He wrote Iron Giant, Incredibles, and Ratatouille. Dude is a genius if you ask me.

I think Star Wars will go forward with the Skywalker clan at its center, not back to the Old Republic days. If you disconnect it from the Skywalkers, I worry that it stops being Star Wars and sorta becomes just another sci-fi film.

-Jason "Serenity rocked so hard!!! If you have not seen Serenity or Sunshine, see them both... NOW!!" Evans

Terry Gilliam. They won't get finished or be anywhere near budget, but . . . Wow.

[Wander]

get joss to write it....brad to direct it...

FYI, Joss agrees with me on what the new trilogy should be about. From his facebook page yesterday:

"Imagine how great a new Star Wars trilogy could be with the Yuuzhan Vong invasion as the plot focus."

(which maybe also indicates a general interest in being involved?)

[moonpie23]

first...both guys are genius at writing and directing, however, to me, joss understands swashbuckling....something 1,2 &3 sorely missed. I'm down with his brand of humor ( I AM A GOD YOU DULL CREATURE!)

Mal would be a perfect hans solo....

[DukeHoo]

Looks like Harrison Ford might be interested in playing Han Solo again: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/11/0...%27s+Latest%29

That's something of a reversal on his part, since I always thought that he didn't have a ton of love for the character. Maybe Ford just didn't like Lucas's characterization of Solo?

[OldPhiKap]

Looks like Harrison Ford might be interested in playing Han Solo again: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/11/0...%27s+Latest%29

That's something of a reversal on his part, since I always thought that he didn't have a ton of love for the character. Maybe Ford just didn't like Lucas's characterization of Solo?

Maybe it was not the top of his list when he was younger -- ready to move on to new things and all -- but now would be fun.

Assume he doesn't need the $$. He's been in a ton of blockbusters and he's married to Ally McBeal.