Discussion Vote: Jon Favreau, Matthew Vaughn or David Fincher.

Yeah, having to choose between these guys ('cause, you know, it's all up to us ) is like having to choose between chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and chocolate pie for dessert. They're all freaking delicious.

I'm just thankful the rumored shortlist isn't:

Rupert Sanders (Disney)
Gore Verbinski (I hate the Pirates movies)
Stephen Sommers
Bret Ratner

Because at that point we'd just be talking ourselves into the professionalism of Verbinski and the quality of Rango (Most CG movies built by focus group turn out solid because there are no reshoots; you just keep re-rendering until a scene is perfect) or talking about how Rupert Sanders did cool Halo commercials.

The shortlist of Favreau and Vaughn is at least good because we know both love Star Wars and both men have delivered at least 2 movies that I've enjoyed watching repeatedly (Elf and Ironman for JV). (Vaughn's last 4 movies as well) . And Fincher is Fincher. He's a legend in his own right. So, things could definitely be worse if this is truly the short list. *Cough* Sommers. *Belch* Ratner.

EDIT: I want this sorted fast because I still feel like Sanders or Verbinski could appear out of nowhere on this. Verbinski's the ultimate pro that Disney execs love and they saw Sanders as the next of that breed. It's why they signed him to a lucrative 3 picture deal. It wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to improve his name again after the beating he took for cheating on his wife with Kristen Stewart. Hopefully, that controversy is enough to keep him away from this because he's a bit of a poor man's Timur Bekmambetov/Zach Snyder. Those super stylized looks can work for graphic novels (300 and Wanted come to mind) but I would hate to see Star Wars stylized to such a degree. Save it for the Suckerpunch stories that need that extra oomph. A good Star Wars script shouldn't need that.

I'm gonna have to disagree, unfortunately. I'm not saying the announcement won't be made today, I just don't think it will be made via the video. I think they were made to introduce Kathleen Kennedy and tell us way she's such a great choice to head up Star Wars. Let's hope I'm wrong though!

By the way, I voted for Favreau.

I wouldn't mind Verbinksi. If you dislike the Pirates movies you can blame the scripts, not his excellent direction of actors and masterful handling of action sequences.

If I were KK, I would go with Vaughn for Episode 7, Fincher for Episode 8 (but I think that he is not interested) and Brad Bird for Episode 9.

If you want to bring the "Fun and Wonder" back in SW, bring on Vaughn. I think that it's pretty clear that both Vaughn and Favreau wants the ball.

However, I don't think that Favreau can score the winning goal in sudden death game. I don't think that he has that "grand scale vision in him".

I think that Vaughn has that movie in him. He will embrace the pressure.

could've sworn Johnston was a front runner.

I blame him for wasting his talents on such obvious crap. A movie based on a theme park amusement ride? Really? I think that shows a lot about his character to be honest with you, or lack there of. And let's not kid ourselves... You take Johnn Depp out of those movies and they might have bombed. That's how crucial he was to their success. He brought out the moms who love Depp and the moms brought the kids. Had Depp not jumped on board with that it could be been as much of a bomb as Huntsman, or any number of other fantasy/fable stories that didn't do well at the box office. I agree with you. He has talent. The problems were mostly there in the scripts. He's a pro, but he's a pro without a soul that's willing to work on anything if the price is right. Maybe that's worked for Star Wars okay in the past but I think we can do better this time around and a little personal touch and TLC might go a long way.

Vaughn seems to have more discriminating taste. He's not afraid to walk away from something if it's crap because he doesn't want his name attached to crap. I appreciate that. His movies also seem to have more emotion to them, perhaps because he writes as well himself. And his taste is solid. Anybody that's worked with creative forces like Millar and Gaiman is already pretty cool in my books. And both guys still have a lot of respect for Vaughn and would work with him again so I think that says something. I just want somebody there who'll fight for what's right for the fans and for the franchise and I think that's Vaughn.

They did that in Videos #2 and #3. I don't think they need two more to flesh out her credentials.

One of the reasons why I think LOTR felt so unique as an experience was because Jackson wasn't a super slick hired gun director and because he put a lot of TLC into all aspects of the project. That's what I'm hoping for here. There are a lot of pros out there who could deliver a solid Star Wars movie but in the hopes of reaching new heights I want somebody filtering everything through his vision of Star Wars at its very best and fighting for every line of dialogue, render of animation, and expensive reshoot (if necessary) in order to deliver something special and I think you get that when a director cares about Star Wars the same way an art house director cares about a drama with truth in it.

Peter jacskon wasn't the most logical choice for LOTR based on his unconventional work in the Frighteners and Heavenly Creatures but in hindsight it's hard to imagine a more inspired choice for those. You can sense the heart, passion and conviction in those. I want the same for these.

Texas?!?! That state is almost it's own country anyway! LOL! J/K, I have several friends that live there. Even contemplated moving there as well.

I do think personality comes into it. Like I mentioned before, the interviews I've listened to of Jon Favreau, he really comes off like a common man. Just like another fan of SW. Ok, some will see that as a negative, but to me it speaks wonders for the passion of the content vs just another directing job. Granted, I've never heard personal interviews of the other two, maybe they come off that way too.

Only time will tell. Lets hope for a decision soon!

Someone here was criticizing Favreau for being "less than visionary" and pointing out the flaws in the climax of C&A (I can't find the post, so bear with me), taking it to task for its lack of clear geography. I would like to counter that when looking at Spielberg's 1941, no one could have believed Spielberg was capable of such a taut, economical, beautifully choreographed masterpiece as Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was his next project. I believe Favreau, despite very minor failings in previous pictures, has a Raiders-level film in him, and am very much looking forward to the Disney announcement, and hoping it's him.

Well, since we're talking about interviews, here's a short clip of Vaughn talking about how Star Wars and Raiders were formative movies for him.

Spielberg had directed Jaws and Close Encounters before 1941. If you think that Favreau has a Raiders-level film in him (and few directors in the world have this kind of talent)....well....good for you.

I personnally think that Favreau is no more than an journeyman director, although his enthusiasm would certainly be contagious.

Yes, yes, I'm aware of the man's oeuvre. Favreau has several successful projects under his belt as well. I won't pretend that Iron Man is equivalent to Jaws in terms of cinematic aplomb, but both are damn entertaining films with a knack for pleasing crowds. Close Encounters doesn't have the kind of action sequences the other movies under discussion have, so it's difficult to include it in the analysis. I think that given the right material -- a tight, well-paced script and a good producer among other variables -- Favreau can absolutely deliver a Star Wars film that's as rich and entertaining and solid as Raiders.

Agreed. Point of fact I'm pretty sure Kirshner didn't have that kind of talent or Lucas even. I think that Favreau is a very solid choice. He's a very Original Trilogy type of choice. But if we are ranking directors based on camera skillset. It's 1. Fincher 2. Vaughn 3. Favreau. There's little doubt that Favreau would get good performances out of the actors and he'd be absolutely stellar on the enthusiasm front.

Yes a solid choice.....but it's a very unique opportunity and I think that KK is a very persuasive woman. If she thinks that there's one director who can pull it off and she wants him, she will get her man or woman. In fact, I like Favreau and my favorite scenes in C&A are the intimate ones, same with Iron Man (I hate Iron Man 2).....it's the big action scenes side that has me worried with Favreau.

I hope you're right. I just have my doubts.

@Frank_TJ_Mackey You really need to get an avatar to match your name lol.

Yes, there's nothing in Kershner's oeuvre, either before or after ESB, that would suggest he would make the most technically perfect and emotionally resonant of the SW films. Robocop 2 is very technically proficient but it lacks resonance; Never Say Never Again is visually muddy and climactically flaccid, and the less said about the Eyes of Laura Mars the better.

there you go !

Hahaha!! Form a tragedy. PTA wrote the perfect role for Cruise that played with audiences perceptions of him.

Back to Star Wars though.

I voted for Favreau because he knows how to bring an element of fun into his films. He showed that with both Elf and Iron Man. Star Wars is supposed to be fun. I've never seen a David Fincher film, but his record looks good. I do like Matt Vaughn.

Do yourself a favor and see some! You'll at the very least find it visually interesting. Not saying he's the perfect match or anything, just that I'd recommend his films (even Panic Room).

Voted for Vaughn, mainly because more than likely it already is Vaughn. Favreau really has only made one great film, that being Iron Man, and probably because he just let Robert Downey control the thing. Cowboys and Aliens should have been great, but it's determination to take itself too seriously put a lot of people off.

Fincher would be good too, but he's not gonna get it.

I think Vaughn is the best and safest choice as a Star Wars fan. With that said, as a movie fan I'd be absolutely bonkers to see Fincher's take on something like this.