Discussion Who Should Direct Future SW Films?

No comic book directors, please.

 

I'd be happy with Joss Whedon, James Gunn or Matthew Vaughn. Gunn's proven he can direct a great space opera but I can't see him doing Star Wars after Guardians of the Galaxy. Kenneth Branagh would be an interesting choice as well.

 

am I the only one who does not care about directors.

 

Honestly? Abrams.

As I sat in the theater during Star Trek Into Darkness I knew he was the right guy for the job. That movie had the feel of adventure just like a Star Wars movie. So much vibrance and energy.

Plus he's a Star Wars fan. Like, an actual FAN.

Can't think of anyone else more suited for the job. I really can't. I'm so excited about him getting first crack at the trilogy.

 

Either Uwe Boll, McG, Brett Ratner, Michael Bay or the guys who directed Epic Movie.

 

I'd like to see Duncan Jones or Sam Mendes take a stab at a Star Wars spin-off film.

Moon was a pretty classic Science-Fiction character drama with classic styling and an impressive modern implementation of practical effects.

Mendes certainly has rich, character-driven storytelling down, and I could see the griminess of "Snatch" fitting to the criminal underbelly of smugglers, gangsters, and pirates of the Star Wars universe.

 

Neil Marshall he did some Game of thrones episodes.

 

Cuaron would be a good choice as well.

 

I generally like Cuaron's work (particularly with Children of Men, though I have more subdued feelings about his take on Harry Potter and Gravity). There's no doubt that he's proficient with highlighting genuine human emotions, and he's got an interesting visual flair and a commendable grasp of narrative structure, but I think he's too cerebral and artsy (sometimes bordering on the pretentious) for Star Wars.

I get the impression (along with fellow vivid director Guillermo del Toro) that Cuaron very much wants to play in his own sandbox, and I simply can't imagine him attaching onto a pre-existing franchise (I think Harry Potter was a one-time fluke).

I don't have too much of a feel for Neil Marshall aside from his work on Game of Thrones, but I really liked The Descent. I think he's a solid Wild-Card Maybe; I could definitely see him writing or co-writing a Star Wars script.

Rounding back to the cinematic world of Harry Potter, I actually think the director of the first two films Chris Columbus could make an excellent Star Wars director. He hasn't been up to too much in the past decade, but Columbus has a very specific grasp on Adventure, Fantasy, and Children's films (I'm talking about classic 1980's-1990's kid's movies). He's directed and written quite a few seminal classics like Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, Gremlins, The Goonies, and produced two overwhelmingly book-faithful and loving Harry Potter adaptations. Columbus reminds me of the classic Adventure and Fantasy directors of Lucas's era like Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg, and is very much connected to that genre and time period. Then again, Columbus has a proclivity to sentimental blandness and might not challenge Star Wars, and his recent filmography is less than inspiring (I get the feeling his career is winding down), but it's certainly an interesting prospect.

I'd like to see a pairing of a director like Columbus with a bleaker writer like Marshall; that feels like a Star Wars movie to me.

 

I remade the Trailer in GMOD!

 

Since this thread title says "dream," I'm gonna throw out a name that would only be possible in a dream: Akira Kurosawa.

 

Dream:Sergio Leone

Realistic: Gore Verbinski

 

Really? People are saying Zack Snyder and even George Lucas, despite directing four Star Wars films already including messes like The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones?

My dream director for Star Wars Episode IX would be Steven Spielberg as he has worked with Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm a lot, is one of the greatest directors of all-time and would be perfect to finish off the saga. Also, he has a little experience with the series when he helped out with Episode III.

Although, since this is the spin-offs forum, I would rather not have someone like Spielberg directing movies that aren't even apart of the main saga, and would rather have fresh blood. I don't really know who that would be, but the Russo brothers or Joss Whedon, if they count, would do a great job. I really enjoy their work in Marvel films such as The Winter Soldier and The Avengers.

 

Here are some other directors I'd like to see give Star Wars a try:
Martin Scorsese
John Milius
Danny Boyle
Peter Weir

 

Those are fine directors, but I don't think their sensibilities are particularly "right" for Star Wars.

Danny Boyle could work, and I'd love to hear (with no sarcasm on my part) your reasoning for his appointment.

I'd like to see a Kurosawa Star Wars film (it'd be suitably grimy and character driven).

Six or so years ago, Neil Blomkamp was very much the kind of break-out director (like Gareth Edwards) who would have been chosen to do a Star Wars movie, but his output has been pretty disappointing.

I'd love to see a Western or Neo-Noir director take a shot at a Star Wars spin-off, perhaps someone like James Mangold (who directed 3:10 to Yuma) could fit this bill.

Besides Matthew Vaughn, James Duncan, and perhaps Danny Boyle, there aren't many directors who excite me for these films.

 

So far it looks like Collin Treverrow has done a great job on Jurassic World, so if that turns out well, he could be a good candidate for a Star Wars film. Bit premature to say though. Other choices: Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code), Alfonso Cuaron.

 

Why is Guillermo Del Toro so popular? He's only really made one great film in Pan's Labrinyth.

 

The Hellboy films and Pacific Rim are pure fun.

I agree about keeping Snyder away from Star Wars though. His films look fantastic but don't offer much else.

 

You know, Fruit Pastilles, that's something I've been wondering myself.

I consider Guillermo del Toro to be my favorite modern director because of his grimy aesthetic, Dark Fairy Tale sensibility, and his reverence for 35mm film and practical effects - but you bring up a concerning point: the man has only directed one great movie.

I think Del Toro's work is a classic case of admiring the idea or theory of a thing more than the total output

I'm hooked on the kind of style he represents and I respect his reverence for old-school genre filmmaking (I'm a sucker for eyeless monsters and ghostly woods), but Del Toro's filmography is fairly uneven.

I enjoyed the Hellboy movies for their blue collar sincerity and stunning creature work, but they were nothing to hang up on the shelf.

I've admittedly never seen Pacific Rim, and have no interest in the concept.

Crimson Peak looks to have promise as a classical, Victorian ghost story, but I keep hearing references to kinky sex, which is a total turn off to me; I'll probably catch it on Netflix in 2016.

I have no doubt that Del Toro would have produced a better Hobbit film series than the modern Peter Jackson delivered (my heart is still broken up about that), but that clearly wasn't meant to be.

I still have reserved hope (and creative respect) for Del Toro, but he would never be right for Star Wars.

 

I love del Toro. He is one of my favorite filmmakers.

I could go on for ages discussing him (and may wind up doing that in a few months, if I stick with my idea to write my honors thesis about his work in some way), but it's late and I don't feel like it right now.

To keep things short and to the point, there are very few guys in the business right now with the artistic integrity and sensuality he has, and very few that are as varied in their approach as he is. Sure, he mostly sticks to to main genres (science fiction and fantasy, often operating somewhere on a level between the two), but his inspirations (and, as a result, the style of his films) range from classic literature to comic book art, from mythology to biology to anime, and he is able to blend it all perfectly to create his own vision. This is the guy who went from The Devil's Backbone and immediately segued to Blade II, and as vastly different as the two films are the both bear that signature del Toro style.

There isn't a del Toro film that I dislike. His three Spanish films (Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, and Pan's Labyrinth) are all wonderful, dark explorations of the family unit with brutal fantasy elements that help to bring the main events to light. Crimson Peak seems like it is going to operate on that same level. The much mangled Mimic is where we see del Toro's love of biology really shine, and also where a lot of his signature traits were developed (though also compromised by the studio). Blade II is just pure 12 year old escapist fun, with fantastic mobster effects to boot (another del Toro staple). The two Hellboy films, as much science fiction and fantasy outings as they are comic book movies, are some of the most visually complex, likably charming, and well designed in the genre, and some personal favorites of mine. That we will likely never get a third film to cap off the story is an absolute shame. Pacific Rim gets some flack for being simple, but much like what Lucas did with the Star Wars prequels there is a whole visual narrative screaming to be uncovered in that film. Beyond that, it was very much a labor of love and that shows in every frame of the film. And the sense of scale and wonder is awe inspiring. I cannot wait for the sequel to release.

As for del Toro and Star Wars, if it were to happen it would have to be something that he crafted specifically to his own visual and narrative style in order for it to work, but I don't see Disney ever allowing him that level of control, so I'd prefer him to just stay away from the franchise and continue doing whatever twelve million other projects he has on his plate.

Told you I'd keep it short.

 

bstnsx704 - I had totally forgotten about The Devil's Backbone in my estimation of del Toro's work; that was a very good movie and definitely second after Pan's Labyrinth in my book.

My problem with del Toro is that I'm totally in love with his physical style and fimmaking sensibilities (I'm a big practical effects guy and a traditionalist for Atmospheric Horror), but I'm somewhat lukewarm on his actual filmography.

I'll fully admit that there was a time when I really enjoyed Blade II; the creature work remains great.

I also think a lot of del Toro projects (usually through unfortunate circumstances and little-to-no fault of his own) tend to fall through, and he can easily spend four or five years without producing anything substantial.

I don't feel entitled to a del Toro film totally suited to my tastes, and I respect the guy's creative energy; you're right, he is a rare breed indeed.

I've always thought that del Toro would be the most organic choice to helm a Neil Gaiman book adaptation film (I can only imagine what his interpretation of Coraline would be like).

He could potentially have produced an excellent Harry Potter film (I think his buddie Alfonso Cuaron's HP movie is very overrated), but I get the feeling that he doesn't want to be attached too closely to an existing franchise; no doubt his experiences with The Hobbit left him burned.

I'm veering off from the topic at hand, but I just saw The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies - man, what a pitiful ending to a beautiful franchise; Peter Jackson was at one time capable of greatness.

 

I think some of del Torro's best work is actually his foreign-language films. A lot of his Hollywood stuff comes across as quite generic, not including the visual look.

 

I think the best would be Duncan Jones with Brad Bird being up there as well.