JJ Abrams to direct Star Wars episode 7

[lefty]

Official Announcement: J.J. Abrams to Direct Star Wars: Episode VII
by SuperHeroHype
January 25, 2013
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The story broke early on Thursday, but now Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm have officially confirmed that J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII! The statement reads as follows:

J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

"It's very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie," said Kennedy. "J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture."

George Lucas went on to say "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

"To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor," J.J. Abrams said. "I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid."

J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner.

Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kinberg was writer on Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year's Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm's preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as Felicity, Alias, Lost and Fringe.

[CubanMustGo]

First Star Wars film that John Williams won't compose the film score for. JJ's directing style and JW's style are incompatible.

[leemajors]

Lens Flare Wars

[Viva Las Espuelas]

smh

[redzero]

Didn't he already direct a Star Wars movie before?

[Viva Las Espuelas]

he may have directed a movie with a war in the stars.

[Reck]

Well at least Whedon wont direct and completely ruin the movie.

JJ is a solid director. His latest films backs him up.

[MannyIsGod]

http://replygif.net/i/163

[Trainwreck2100]

can't wait for the star trek easter egg in this movie

[Proxy]

Who will write the story and script is more important. JJ isn't anything to get excited about... but then again, Lucas set the standard at rock-bottom with the prequels so anything is good.

Why episode VII? Just leave the Skywalker arch alone and do something else.

[HI-FI]

ultimately I think it was a safe, uninspired choice. JJ has proven he candle handle big projects like Star Trek and his own productions (alias, lost etc...). If there is tons of lens flare I'll be pissed, i also hope that new logo isn't for real or part of the opening crawl of the film. I want the style and tone to be consistent.


People shit on Lucas because it's the cool thing to do but the guy can flat out construct a film. sure his writing sucks but in terms of conceptualizing, shooting or constructing a film in the editing suite, he's great. The fact Kathleen Kennedy has Lawrence Kasdan on board to help with writing is probably the best overall news, since Kasdan penned Empire and Return of the Jedi.

now I really hope Ben Affleck doesn't direct part 8. seriously, they need to hire David Fincher. the guy is fantastic director, great with visuals and CGI, worked with Lucasfilm when he was 18 (matte photographer on Jedi, Temple of Doom), plus he directed Curious Case of Benjamin Button which Kathleen Kennedy produced. The connection is there, so I hope they let someone of Fincher's caliber and pedigree be involved in some capacity. I also think Joe Johnston would be a great choice, since he's a proven director and was one of the original conceptual artists on the Original Trilogy.

as long as JJ doesn't direct all 3 films, I'm basically okay with this move.

[Proxy]

People shit on Lucas because it's the cool thing to do but the guy can flat out construct a film. sure his writing sucks but in terms of conceptualizing, shooting or constructing a film in the editing suite, he's great. The fact Kathleen Kennedy has Lawrence Kasdan on board to help with writing is probably the best overall news, since Kasdan penned Empire and Return of the Jedi.


:sleep"cool thing to do"

Yeah... the guy basically built an amazing universe and successfully took a dump on it in his latter years. The guy can't write for shit. The story has no cohesiveness in it's plot nor it's characters and the script is a complete joke. His direction in screenplay is predictable and boring.

I agree with you that Fincher would be a perfect fit. In the hypothetical instance, a Fincher directed Star Wars movie would really showcase how much of a dummy Lucas was with ep. 1-3.

[HI-FI]

:sleep"cool thing to do"

Yeah... the guy basically built an amazing universe and successfully took a dump on it in his latter years. The guy can't write for shit. The story has no cohesiveness in it's plot nor it's characters and the script is a complete joke. His direction in screenplay is predictable and boring.

I agree with you that Fincher would be a perfect fit. In the hypothetical instance, a Fincher directed Star Wars movie would really showcase how much of a dummy Lucas was with ep. 1-3.
everywhere you go people are bashing Lucas, saying "he raped my childhood". it's just ridiculous. he's not a perfect filmmaker, but the guy is responsible for American Grafitti, THX1138, Star Wars, Indiana Jones. that's some great shit there.

Lucas' main problem was he became like Jerry Jones, ultimately too stubborn and powerful, therefore he was insulated from other opinions. Some of his original ideas for Star Wars were borderline insane, so it helped having more sensible minds around him. But i still think the guy is a visionary and a great visual director. The visuals and editing in the prequels are very good (well maybe Clones has some editing issues), it's just the dialogue and plot needed rewrites.

Fincher isn't a writer so he'll still be dependent on a script, but his visual touch is second to none, and he uses CGI so well that I often don't notice it. Considering Empire was the dark chapter (whichis why Lucas hired Cronenberg's DP to shoot it) Fincher would be a great choice.

I hope Lucas is still involved with the story and tone of this new trilogy. I also hope he goes back to making films like THX or american grafitti again, both are personal favorites of mine.

[mojorizen7]

THX 1138 is a sci-fi gem.