I'm cautiously optimistic. On one hand, new directors? Anyone beats George at this point. On the other, I fear that they'll annihilate the EU. If they're based on the Thrawn Trilogy, then I'll be one happy camper. Daniel Craig for Thrawn, I say!
I think the SW-Universe is ripe for re-imaginings. Marvel Comic Book fans are already familiar with the "Ultimate" treatments of their favorite characters and story lines. I personally enjoyed J.J. Abrams' take on Trek, although I can certainly see why die-hard fans of the...other...franchise could find fault with it. We've already been treated to a new Peter Parker, a new Superman, Four...wait...five(?) Batmen over the years. How many Bonds have been shaken-not-stirred these past decades? As far as I'm concerned, if they (whoever "they" are at this point?) give us a great story with great characters played by reasonably articulate actors, I'm a happy little fan boy. While I'm intrigued to see Harrison Ford, Mark Hammill and Carrie Fisher reprise their roles again, if they're just going to be there for nostalgia's sake, then...meh...I can take it or leave it. As far as I'm concerned, canon went out the window with the Clone Wars anyway, so again, give me a great story with great characters...oh...yeah...and someone behind the camera that doesn't just cut & paste "direct" from the Editing Room in post production...that would be nice too...
That's what I'm afraid of. I (and many others) have invested a lot of time with the EU; I've been following it since 4th grade. It would be a shame if it was all just rendered meaningless in regards to the Star Wars universe. DC Comics did exactly that with their New 52 line, and I refuse to buy any of their comics.
There is rumors that the lead character could be a female..... pehaps spawn of Leia and Han? http://movieline.com/2013/01/04/star-wars-episode-7-female-lead-character/
I've really enjoyed some parts of the EU, but have tended to view it as something separate from the movies. So it would make sense to me if they didn't restrict themselves to the EU framework. I tend to suspect that all the rumors at this point are just hot air. I mean, do they have a writer for sure yet?
Yep, Michael Arndt is definitely the screenwriter. http://starwars.com/news/michael-arndt-to-write-screenplay-for-star-wars-episode-vii.html And, I suspect that they will not be adapting any plotlines from the EU, but will, perhaps, be pulling characters from it. That means that there will probably be conflicts with the EU...it's a new, topsy-turvy world with regards to the EU and movies not being in conflict, I bet.
I thought I heard somewhere that Lucas already had the main layout for the movie. Not sure how much involvement he had though now....
I wouldn't be surprised. I believe the deal with Disney included story treatments for Ep 7, 8 and 9. He will stay on as creative consultant and will most likely have some if not as much involvement as he did on ESB and ROTJ. Maybe he'll step a little more than he was on those, but you know Lucas will always be very involved in SW as long as he's around.
oh and another...http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/jj-abrams-set-direct-next-star-wars-film-exclusive-74596
These are all coming from the same site with no official comment, so I wouldn't count chickens just yet.
here is an article that came out a bit ago...http://news.moviefone.com/2012/11/07/harrison-ford-han-solo-star-wars-episode-vii_n_2087832.html
Wow, I'm off FB for the day, and come back to find the internet has exploded. It's an interesting rumor with many articles... now we just have to wait to see if an official announcement pans out. And it goes to show how much I haven't been keeping up - I didn't know they'd officially announced a writer. Last fall.
I'm with you. I'll wait for an official announcement. Here's the original article, bolded by me: http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/jj-abrams-set-direct-next-star-wars-film-exclusive-74596 "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. 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." Still sounds like rumor to me until it's confirmed. Although how fast it spread on the internets and is taken as gospel boggles the mind!
