[h=1]J.J. Abrams Set to Direct Next 'Star Wars' Film (Exclusive)[/h] View Photo J.J. Abrams Set to Direct Next 'Star Wars' Film (Exclusive) <!-- yog-5u --> J.J. Abrams will direct the next "Star Wars" film for Disney, taking stewardship of one of Hollywood's most iconic and lucrative film franchises, an individual with knowledge of the production told TheWrap. "Argo" director Ben Affleck was also in contention, another individual with knowledge of the talks told TheWrap. Ever since Disney bought Lucasfilm last year and announced it would make new "Star Wars" films, fans, members of the media and industry executives have speculated about which director would take the job. Abrams' name always came up, but he told Entertainment Weekly in November that he wasn't going to take the job. He did say "Star Wars" was the first movie that "blew my mind" in terms of special effects. Also Read: 'Little Miss Sunshine' Writer Michael Arndt to Pen 'Star Wars:Episode VII' Lucasfilm Chief Kathleen Kennedy has been courting Abrams, one of the most successful directors and producers in Hollywood -- and a man beloved by fanboys. He runs one of the industry's top production companies, Bad Robot, and created or co-created television franchises like "Lost," "Fringe" and "Alias." He has also directed film spectacles "Mission: Impossible III," "Star Trek" and "Super 8." The lure of the Jedi was too strong, and it will no doubt complicate his relationship with Paramount, where Bad Robot is a top supplier. Abrams has been feverishly working on "Star Trek Into Darkness," his second Star Trek film since he rebooted the franchise in 2009. "Into Darkness," still in post-production, opens May 18. Though he has several producing jobs in front of him, Abrams had been uncommitted as a director. He will have to jump right into "Star Wars," which Disney has slated for a 2015 release. "Little Miss Sunshine" screenwriter Michael Arndt is penning the script. Reached by TheWrap, Lynne Hale, spokeswoman for Lucasfilm, declined to comment immediately. Neither CAA, which represents Abrams, nor Bad Robot immediately responded to requests for comment.
Abrams is the perfect choice, indeed. He did an amazing job with the Star Trek reboot, a franchise he admittedly wasn't a fan of and has always maintained that instead he is a die-hard Star Wars fan. If the other choice was Ben Afleck, with all due respect to his talent as a director, he is not close to Abrams in tackling this kind of project. All I hope is that J.J. Abrams does indeed sign the contract. Best news of the month! :hammert:
I don't care about star wars. Moderators please delete this thread and ban whoever started it. Thank you.
"You say black I say white...You say bark I say bite You say shark I say hey man...Jaws was never my scene And I don't like Star Wars"
Star Wars is for nerds. I enjoyed star wars back in the day and then I turned 12 and moved on with my life. True story.
IS OFFICIAL!!! Jan 26 2013 12:38 AM ET <fb:like width="57" ref="ewcontent" show_faces="false" layout="box_count" href="http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/01/26/j-j-abrams-officially-named-star-wars-director/"></fb:like><!-- <fb:share-button href="http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/01/26/j-j-abrams-officially-named-star-wars-director/" type="button"></fb:share-button> --> <IFRAME style="POSITION: static; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; MARGIN: 0px; WIDTH: 50px; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; HEIGHT: 24px; VISIBILITY: visible; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; TOP: 0px; LEFT: 0px" id=I0_1359150537515 title=+1 tabIndex=0 vspace=0 marginHeight=0 src="https://plusone.google.com/_/+1/fastbutton?bsv&annotation=none&size=tall&hl=en-US&origin=http%3A%2F%2Finsidemovies.ew.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidemovies.ew.com%2F2013%2F01%2F26%2Fj-j-abrams-officially-named-star-wars-director%2F&ic=1&jsh=m%3B%2F_%2Fscs%2Fapps-static%2F_%2Fjs%2Fk%3Doz.gapi.en.sqZYWQ5C8Ko.O%2Fm%3D__features__%2Fam%3DQQ%2Frt%3Dj%2Fd%3D1%2Frs%3DAItRSTPjTMFi86_vA6VZ2jAa4YutQ3Lwdg#_methods=onPlusOne%2C_ready%2C_close%2C_open%2C_resizeMe%2C_renderstart%2Concircled%2Conload&id=I0_1359150537515&parent=http%3A%2F%2Finsidemovies.ew.com" frameBorder=0 width="100%" allowTransparency name=I0_1359150537515 marginWidth=0 scrolling=no hspace=0 data-gapiattached="true"></IFRAME> [h=1]J.J. Abrams officially named 'Star Wars' director [/h]<!-- #LS-100 ID is for Link Smart --> Image Credit: joi J.J. Abrams has officially decided to join Lucasfilm and, together, rule the galaxy. Star Wars creator George Lucas, who is retiring and passing the franchise on, released a statement endorsing the choice: “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.” The news broke yesterday, and was quickly confirmed by sources close to the project, which had previously tried to woo Brad Bird to the film. Abrams, who has been busy on the sequel to his reboot of Star Trek, had previously said he didn’t want to take on Star Wars, but ultimately was persuaded to change his mind. Star Wars: Episode VII is expected in 2015, and was announced as part of The Walt Disney Co.’s $4.05 billion purchase of Lucasfilm in October. The screenplay is being penned by Michael Arndt, the Oscar-winning writer of Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3, while Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Return of the Jedi, and Simon Kinberg, who wrote Mr. and Mrs. Smith and the Robert Downey Jr. version of Sherlock Holmes, will serve as consultants. “It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy announced tonight. “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.” Abrams, whose other films include Mission: Impossible III and TV shows such as Lost, Alias, Felicity, and Fringe, offered no explanation for the reversal, but indicated his affection for Star Wars goes back to childhood — as it does for almost every kid from his generation. “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.”
Job should have easily gone to John Woo. I think the LucasArts & Disney people will really regret they passed on the oppoutunity to see a Star Wars character do a slow motion dive while simultaneously firing a laser pistol in each hand at their adversary, all while a flock of space pigeons takes off in the back ground.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94MMOhIcf5A he starts on Star Wars about 45 seconds in. Always makes me laugh. Sorry if I posted this in the last Star Wars thread we had.
[h=1]A Rumor, This Is: Disney’s first ‘Star Wars’ spinoff film will center on Yoda[/h]<cite class="byline vcard">By Bryan Enk | Movie Talk – <abbr title="2013-02-05T23:24:57Z">6 hours ago</abbr></cite> Yoda (Photo: Everett Collection) "Yoda: Jedi Master" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Or maybe just "The Jedi Master." Well, before it can have a title, it has to actually exist, and for now a stand-alone "Star Wars" film that puts the powerful pint-sized denizen of Dagobah front and center is just the latest rumor to come out of a galaxy far, far away (well, not that far anymore -- it's now at Disneyland, after all). Ain't It Cool News first brought word that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy might be doing a lot more than just having secret meetings with J.J. Abrams as she's apparently in the early stages of what Disney does best: milking a brand for all it's worth. Sure, Abrams is going to be directing "Episode VII," but there's more than just a new "Star Wars" trilogy in store -- we're going to be getting a bunch of spinoff films as well, and if Zack Snyder's rumored (and since denied) Jedi-centric riff on "Seven Samurai" isn't going to be the first one out of the gate, then maybe a Yoda movie will be. Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger has since confirmed in an interiew with CNBC that the studio is indeed planning a series of stand-alone character-based "Star Wars" films that will be separate from the new trilogy. Lawrence Kasdan, who penned "The Empire Strikes Back and "Return of the Jedi," and Simon Kinberg, who just wrote "X-Men: Days of Future Past" for director Bryan Singer, are currently hard at work on the spinoff projects, though of course there's no word on which characters will be involved. AICN reports that the Yoda film is top priority, though there are currently no plot details to speak of (our guess would be it's an origin story -- actually, how about "Begin, Yoda Shall" as a title?). Disney declined to comment on whether a Yoda-centered spinoff is in the works. Other possible spinoff films include one that focuses on Jabba the Hutt (potentially the "Goodfellas" of the "Star Wars" universe?) that was apparently pitched by George Lucas himself -- and let's not forget that Joe Johnston, who's in good with Disney after directing "Captain America: The First Avenger," once expressed his desire to call the shots on a movie featuring everyone's favorite bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Let's not get too carried away, though ... and hope that Disney doesn't, either. "Star Wars" is not "The Avengers." Making a bunch of spinoff movies along with a new trilogy could very well make the Death Star explode before it's fully operational. Maybe it's best to see how it goes with "Episode VII" and evaluate from there, guys? We know you're excited about your new playset but you don't want to wear it out when it's still barely out of the box. As always, approach these rumors with caution, young Padawans.
BREAKING NEWS!!! New Star Wars Stand-Alone Films to Follow Boba Fett and Young Han Solo Source: EW February 6, 2013 <!--<fb:like href="http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=99975" layout="box_count" show_faces="false" width="90"></fb:like> <glusone size="tall"></glusone> Tweet--> Less than 24 hours after Walt Disney Pictures officially confirmed plans to develop stand-alone feature films in the Star Wars universe, EW is reporting that they have learned which two characters the first two projects will focus on: Boba Fett and a young Han Solo. Plans for the Solo film call for it to take place in the time between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. No plot details have been revealed, but it's a near-certainty that a brand new actor would have to step in to play everyone's favorite scruffy looking Nerf-herder. The adventures of Han Solo pre-A New Hope was actually the focus of one of the earliest Star Wars novels, 1979's "Han Solo at Star's End," set two years before the events of the 1977 film. The Boba Fett film, meanwhile, would be set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back and would follow the bounty hunter on an intergalactic adventure. Both of the the films (of which Lawrence Kasdan is said to be writing one and Simon Kinberg writing the other) are tentatively planned to see release sometime after 2015 when J.J. Abrams' Episode VII is planned to hit theaters Read more at http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=99975#ugJSMfessIJAoQip.99 per this other source Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger) has expressed interest in the Boba Fett film as his 'dream project'. Johnston worked in Return of The Jedi and designed the Boba Fett costume. Robert Rodriguez also wants to direct one of this stand alone films (I see him putting 'Machete' somewhere among the nounty hunters). http://www.movieweb.com/news/han-solo-and-boba-fett-to-get-stand-alone-star-wars-movies
BREAKING NEWS! Latino Review reports that according to reliable sources Harrison Ford has signed a deal to reprise Han Solo in the Star Wars Episode IV. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105...play-han-solo/?part=rss&subj=gaming&tag=title
Mark Hamill confirms that him, Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford are being talked to return to the franchise, but no contracts have been signed yet. I like what Mark is suggesting: go retro, leave the CGI approach and focus more on characters while using real props and models. I hope someone listens to him. http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/20/mark-hamill-star-wars-episode-vii-deals/
Not that there's a chance of me watching it, except by accident, but I would assume they would be smaller roles, and sort of a passing of the baton to a younger cast.
Hamill speculates that his role will be that of a mentor to a young hero, sort of like Alec Guinness/ Ben Kenobi in the very first film. He thinks the original cast will be back not as the leads, but for continuity sake. But who knows? Maybe J.J. Abrams, who is a die hard Star wars geek, wants to give them the lead roles!
Oh oh! Carrie Fisher is STILL a train wreck! This could put in jeopardy her involvement in the films since they are now "Disney movies"! http://www.inquisitr.com/537028/carrie-fisher-cruise-disaster/ but if they let her loose with her bipolar manic symptoms and drug use,she can turn out to be very entertaining! BTW she has lost some weight and looks better than not long ago. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iW9fuTGbHug" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Seriously? Han Solo as a mentor to some other young petty criminal. What's he going to do teach smuggling tactics and bounty hunter evasion techniques?
Remember Star Trek II, III, IV & V? It was the old geriatric crew from the 60's tv show, but still the movies were profitable.
As a Star Wars fan I just want the movie to work - the old crew are shot in terms of acting. It would be cool to see them in the movie but minor roles will suffice.
I agree with you and also think J.J. Abrams is smart enough to know this too. I think they will have an important part of the plot, but will not be the main characters. Like when he had Leonard Nimoy back as Spock in his reboot of Star Trek. Nimoy's part was vital to the plot, but still was just merely a cameo. I am even more excited about the spin-offs. Why? Because my favorite character, Darth Vader, will be back and since he doesn't need to show his face, no one will complain about his age yada yada yadda. Any big guy can put the costume and just lets hope James Earl Jones isn't dead by that time. On the other hand some voice actors have nailed the Vader voice so great that even Jones will not be needed to do the Vader voice.
When Vader was unmasked in Return of The Jedi most fans were expecting to see him looking like this: not like this: