ST Lucasfilm Confirms: Michael Arndt To Write Screenplay For Episode VII

Saw that one coming, and I didn't even need the Force.

"Describe Qui-Gon in one word!"

So certain are you? Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin.

 

I'm not Arawn, but I'll do it.

The villains in TPM are the Trade Federation; on the surface, their goal is to protest the taxation of the trade routes that they use to conduct their business, taxation that they believe is unfair. In order to get the attention of the Republic Senate, they invade the neutral plant of Naboo; however, this turns out to be only the 'tip of the iceberg', as we learn that they're being used as pawns in a much bigger game by a much bigger threat (Darth Sidious).

I do have to fundamentally disagree with you re: Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers in ANH. Darth Vader seems impressive, but actually does very little in his introductory scene besides look menacing, and spends the majority of the rest of the movie being the lapdog to Grand Moff Tarkin. It isn't until TESB that he really becomes the impressive and iconic bad guy that people remember. The Stormtroopers also aren't very effective, although they're certainly more effective than the Battle Droids from the PT. Aside from their introductory scene, the Stormtroopers are portrayed as largely incompetent footsoldiers just as the Battle Droids are.

When you look at the overall quality of the two trilogies, there are no fundamental differences; both have the same stilted dialogue and bad acting in places, both are overly melodramatically cheesy in places, and both have their fair share of nonsensical leaps of logic that don't hold up to close scrutiny.

There is one difference between the PT and OT: the PT didn't generate that many, if any, memorable and iconic quotes. However, if you sit down and actually analyze the number of memorable and iconic quotes generated by the OT, there actually aren't that many, and the lines that people remember either come from Han Solo or Yoda or else have been completely bastardized and lampooned to the point that they bear zero resemblance whatsoever to what is actually said ("Luke, I'm your father", I'm looking at you).

At any rate, this thread's been derailed enough.

 

I'm not sure about Arndt as the screenwriter. But at least I'm glad that Lucas is still the Creative Consultant. AKA he will be supplying all of the story info because the universe is "inside his head". (As Kathleen Kennedy said in the second video clip that was just released. I still wish they'd get Lawrence Kasdan involved too.

 

By the end of TPM it's obvious Qui Gon is there to die, mirroring the death of Obi-Wan in ANH. That's the point of the character. And by doing this, GL unfortunately waters down the Obi-Wan/Anakin relationship.

 

I'm sorry that my criticisms of the prequel films bare resemblance to someone else's.

 

Clone Wars is getting better and better. I've just watched part three of the Onderon arc. Absolutely magnificent. Ahsoka has also improved tenfold. Really, really good stuff. The Clone Wars forum on this site is the funniest place on the Internet. You would be forgiven for thinking the CW series is the worst thing since cancer. But still, the CW forum is primarily populated by a bunch of eleven year olds. I don’t know, maybe because it’s not an EU zealot’s best friend? Everywhere I have been to on the Internet praises the Mortis trilogy. Even from well known prequel-bashers. The only place where it’s utterly condemned is on the CW forum here.

 

I'm very tempted to take your bet, if only because this Sequel Trilogy is meant to be the final installment in the overall Star Wars Saga, not simply a set of sequels to Episodes IV, V, and VI; even if you personally don't like the PT, it is as integral a part of the overall Star Wars Saga as Episodes IV, V, and VI are; the events of the PT will therefore have some tangible links to whatever the stories of the ST end up being. Kathleen Kennedy would not invalidate the enormous amount of trust George has placed in her by handing her the reins to the SW franchise by ignoring the PT because of perceived backlash against it, and George, even if he is fairly 'hands-off' despite being credited as a Creative Consultant, would not allow it to be otherwise. Arndt is also smart enough to realize that you don't ignore parts of a story just those parts are perceived to have been ill-received, especially if you are penning a direct sequel to something, which is what the ST is. Like it or not, the ST is meant to be a direct continuation of not only Episodes IV, V, and VI, but of Episodes I, II, and III, and therefore will have tangible links - in some fashion or other - to all 6 of those movies.

 

I get the feeling they actually listened to fan/viewer feedback and corrected their approach accordingly.
The annoying droid "humor" is all but eradicated and all other aspects are on a more or less steady rise on the quality scale.

 

I might be wrong but I think the point he was trying to make here isn't that the Neomodians weren't a threat but that they lacked the feel of the villainous threat we had in the OT. We don't get vibe until quite near to the end of the film. Compare it to ANH where you have the Stormtroopers boarding Tantive, you're seeing rebels and Stormtroopers dropping like flies, you see Vader break a guys neck, you have the hero's family burnt to a crisp and Vader nearly a kill a man from across the room just for disrespecting him. Compare this to the Trade Federation who do very little for most of the Phantom Menace. Ok they destroy a ship with two innocents aboard and they attempt to kill two Jedi, but aside from that and some firing on the Queens escaping ship we see little to make them truly a threat. Every shot we see of them taking Theed shows the civilian population being escorted by droids. There's no imminent danger. We hear about a catastrophic death toll but until the battle between the droids and the Gungans there's no example of it on screen.

That's how it felt for me at any rate. I love all six of the movies but TPM more than any other film felt much weaker from me and lacked the sense of urgency I felt in any of the OT films.

 

I have to disagree here, especially with Qui-Gon. I see your point about Padmé but that's bascially a part of her character. She was an elected official, she carried great a burden. She was in charge of her people at a very young age and that affects you. Monarchy and politics are a stiff business. Acutally, Padmé's arc troughout the trilogy is mostly about the conflict between her professional and private life. She was put into a position of power at very young age, she had a great focus on her responsibilities for other people. That was her life.
And that changed in AOTC, when Anakin came back into her life and she started to see that she misses a lot of things due to her focus on politics. He saw a person in her instead of a renown politician. However there has to be a death threat until she finally decides to care about herself headmost for the first time - whatever the consequences might be.
Ironically, that's what kills her in the end.

I thought Luke had a great journey in Ep. IV - VI. Leia and Han never interested me much, though. I don't see their problems, I don't see what makes them attractiv to so many people. But that's just me.

The thing is: I didn't experience Star Wars as two trilogies. I saw all six movies within about two weeks (not in order).
TPM wasn't the my first Star Wars movie, but I saw it before the OT and I liked it when I saw it.

Although we disagree on most parts, I'd like to thank you for your respectful response.

 

You know, speaking of Neimodians, wouldn't it be better if there is a Neimodian character in the ST that is actually a good guy? He could be a Jedi Knight or a representative of the Senate trying to represent his planet's interests.

Food for thought.

 

Then you clearly haven't been everywhere on the Internet.

 

From my experience, I've read more praise of the trilogy than criticism.

 

I don't know about others, maybe it's a generational thing. I saw all 3 OT movies in the theater when they came out - I was 8 in 1977. By the time TESB hits, I was looking at movies from a pre-teen girl perspective. The SW films need a love story. The PT has Anakin and Padme. For OT fans, it's Han and Leia. There has to be some hope that, even when all is going wrong, you can still have hope for a future. That's what the love story represents for me - the possibility that these characters can still build lives and move forward in the face of some pretty long odds.

It's also something real and relatable in a story about space travel, mystical forces, and planetary destruction. It humanizes the characters.

 

I'm going to keep reading interviews & watch his two films to see what he might bring to SW.

One thing is for sure: it will be a family saga. I don't see any other reason to hire him over everyone else. He's done two dysfunctional but likable families. I' thinking the script focuses on the Skywalker/Solo families.

 

Yeah, look, I'm done with debating the merits of the two existing trilogies. Lets focus on what Arndt may bring to the ST.

 

Abrams seems to be declining the directing job.

 

Funny, don't remember you in the lengthy Mortis debates whatsoever. I guess by your rationale, we should all love Nickelback because they sell millions of records, right?


Anyway, I'm sure I won't have the last word on this, but guys please, can we keep it focused on Arndt writing the film?

We need to rerail this detailed thread.

 

I'm a lurker on there, and I have made a few posts here and there. I've read nearly all the threads there. And I'm not saying everyone should love the Clone Wars. But I do find it odd how about 99% of posters over there do seem to really hate the series, yet their days are spent dwelling on it. It’s just a place full of heads nodding in agreement because almost everyone thinks exactly the same thing. It’s a pretty boring forum because of that.There is a serious "comic book guy" and "worst episode ever" vibe given off in that place.

Anyway, I'll shut up now.

 

I've not seen Little Miss Sunshine, but did enjoy TS3; I'm also encouraged by the fact that Arndt has used the structure of the ending of ANH in lectures he's done, because it demonstrates that he's got an appreciation for the kind of stylistic storytelling that is a hallmark of the SW franchise and will therefore structure the story in such a way that it is indicative of and consistent with said stylistic storytelling.

 

I'd recommend to anyone that hasn't seen LMS or TS3 (can't imagine many haven't caught that one) to do so. Both fantastic scripts. Eternal Hero has been doing a great job tracking down interviews with Arndt as well, although if anyone finds a link to any of his SW based talks that would be the motherlode at this point.

 

What I said had nothing to do with ignoring the story. But expect the tone like that of the OT, and a movie less for kids and more for people of all ages. I fully expect references to the PT.

 

I'll certainly be watching Catching Fire (I'm a fan of the books, too). And Oblivion, I suppose.

 

Okay; thank you for clarifying. I wouldn't be surprised to see a set of films that is tonally more in line with Episodes IV, V, and VI, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see a set of films that is tonally very different from both of the two previous trilogies either. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.