J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

[moviefan]

Re: J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

I deleted the other version of the opening text and made a few changes. The crawl isn't 100 percent smooth but hopefully it's not too hard to read!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNeSfty0RU

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

Re: J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

I can understand why the studio chose JJ, he did a really solid job on Star Trek and that sealed the deal IMO. Let's face it, there must be a tonne of pressure to deliver on this first film because if they get it right it's going to lead to billions and billions of dollars for a long time.

To be honest though, it all still rests with the writer here, I get the feeling there are a number of directors that have the talent to bring the Star Wars world to life (i.e. JJ, Jo Kosinski, Andrew Stanton, Brad Bird etc), but they still need that great script to work off.

[moviefan]

Re: J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

Personally speaking I don't think the main element of a new Star Wars film plot is that hard to do. Basically, just make the threat bigger than in the original trilogy. The original trilogy had two Death Stars so in Episode 7 introduce a new weapon with greater power.

It's so simple and obvious!

[dangerouscreenwriter]

Re: J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

A lot of the complaints about J.J.'s Trek reboot revolve around the fact that they felt more Star Wars then Star Trek - more action than rumination, more focus on individual rather than universal character themes. Then there are the plot similarities of farm boy determined to get off'a this po-dunk planet, Vulcan/Alderan being blown up, etc.

Maybe Trek was Abrams's homage to the property he thought he'd never get to work on, which bodes we'll for the new Star Wars?

One can hope...

[InfiniteJest]

Re: J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

I don't know if there is truly a right or wrong visionary for Star Wars. I think Abrams will deliver something tasty. The real question is, "Will it BE STAR WARS?"

I'm sure Abrams will lose a lot of sleep trying to make this fly. It's going to be hard, it's like writing a sequel to the frigging 10 commandments of sci-fi. I both envy him and fear for him on this.

I thought the Darabont suggestion by an earlier poster was terribly intriguing.

[Archduke]

Re: J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

When they announced a new Star Wars film that wasn't going to be directed or written by Lucas I had high hopes that maybe some director would knock an out of the park Star Wars sequel that would redeem the franchise and completely wash the prequel taste out of everyone's mouths but choosing JJ Abrams seems like a signal that Disney wants to go safe, safe, safe, which equals a movie that's definitely worth the admission price but probably won't be talked about or much remembered a decade or so on but only time will tell.

Here's hoping.

[FoxHound]

Re: J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

I'm just worried about diversity. Everytime someone talks about who should direct this or that sci-fi blockbuster, it's always J.J. Abrams.

At this pace, all franchises will have an Abrams feel to it. The snappy scenes, the lens flares, the wacky plot lines, etc. If they ever seriously consider a Battlestar Galactica movie, you know Abrams name will pop up.

One guy controling the future of sci-fi blockbusters just seems a bit dictatorial to me. Imagine if all your cherished comedy franchises were re-done by Judd Apatow. Would you really want that?

[dangerouscreenwriter]

Re: J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

I'm just worried about diversity. Everytime someone talks about who should direct this or that sci-fi blockbuster, it's always J.J. Abrams.

At this pace, all franchises will have an Abrams feel to it. The snappy scenes, the lens flares, the wacky plot lines, etc. If they ever seriously consider a Battlestar Galactica movie, you know Abrams name will pop up.

One guy controling the future of sci-fi blockbusters just seems a bit dictatorial to me. Imagine if all your cherished comedy franchises were re-done by Judd Apatow. Would you really want that?

Interesting. Brings to mind Tarantino's recent influence in the crime/action genres. For better or worse, JJ may be setting the sci-fi tone for the next decade.

Then again, there are a lot of great directors making their mark in the genre - Duncan Jones, Neill Blomkamp, Joe Kosinski, Cuaron, Del Toro, etc... maybe JJ has some stiff competition after all?

[Signal30]

Re: J.J. is directing EPISODE VII

Sort of like the eighties, when almost everything seemed like it was touched by Spielberg or wanted to be?

Lots of great stuff came out then, despite Spielberg. Or because of him. Or nothing at all to do with him.