Discussion Who Should Direct the Next/Future Star Wars Film(s)?

What Mando demonstrated is that there is truly an incredibly talented and diverse group of directors that can shape the future of Star Wars, and that there’s no need to rely on old white hands in the business. Personally, I think the top two (perhaps the best directors of Disney-era Star Wars) are Rick Famuyiwa and Deborah Chow. Followed by Waititi.

 

I think actually what Mando demonstrated was that that particular group of directors can do a great job with SW; I'm not willing to generalize it beyond that. The sample size of those who have been given a SW project is exceedingly small. I agree that others that aren't "old white hands" should be given opportunities.

Gosh, since I turned 50 recently, that means I am typing this post with "old white hands."

 

I've said this before, but as nice as it is to get featurettes where the director talks about how much they loved the original films, how much Star Wars means to them, how it made them want to make movies, blah blah blah, being a massive fan of Star Wars shouldn't be a pre-requisite to direct these films. Obviously Star Wars is one of the most enduringly popular things on the planet, and it'd be difficult to find a director who didn't like the movies, let alone one who hadn't seen them, but I think it might be nice to see what kind of flavours get injected into this series when the person at the helm didn't grow up wearing Darth Vader footsie pajamas.

 

It should be a given that working on a Star Wars project is personal for any creative involved. I don't need to know how much it means to you. What makes your approach unique?

 

Yeah, exactly. He didn't approach from a place of, "I need to honor the sacred cow to which I dedicated my childhood," it was more, "What will make this story work?"

 

Sometimes a good filmmaker is just a good filmmaker, regardless of what genre they're touching. Personally, I do prefer genre films and directors who generally stay in a couple of genres, as I feel they consistently make the most memorable films. However, I am not adverse to a director who just approaches SW like they do everything else, like Tony Gilroy did with RO.

 

I didn’t get the sense that Chow, Famuyiwa and Waititi’s young lives were dominated by Star Wars. They seem to be casual appreciators of the series who respect it a lot, but have a much broader cinematic outlook. And I think that’s in part why their Star Wars contributions were so fresh. Looking forward to a lot more from this crew.

ETA: And Gilroy positively didn’t care for the series at all. Though in that case, I’d argue that the magic formula was the combination of Edwards’ geekiness and Gilroy’s I don’t give a ****-ness. A similar magic combination is Favreau and Filoni, IMO. A casual fan whose horizons are much broader, and a really creative hardcore fan, is a match made in heaven. That way you have someone who understands the unique weirdness of Star Wars, leavened by someone who just wants to make the story work.

 

I always think their is a benefit of having someone not always take the lore of Star Wars not as gossiple and willing to bend it as far as it can be bended....even if it breaks because I think the risk is probably worth it.

Fans never know what they want until they say it anyway.

 

Tim Burton would be an interesting choice.

Or Hayao Miyazaki.

 

No to the former, Burton hasn't been on his A-game for a while. Miyazaki would be genuinely interesting, but the film would likely take 5-7 years to animate.

 

I love that.

We need more like that. Star Wars deserves talent that organically continues Lucas' vision but also thinks to themselves: "What makes this all tick in the end?" I personally think that will need more people like Tony Gilroy in franchises like Star Wars. I fear that the problem with J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson is that both were at polar opposites of the spectrum. One wanted to make the same film, the other wanted to simply wipe away the old, neither of them thinking: "What can make this all work?"

 

I think JJ did a great job! but i think you should love Star Wars to some degree or at least understand the tone of how it should feel but I think Misha Green from lovecraft country would be amazing to direct these movies some many times during lovecraft did I feel like it was drawing on themes from Star Wars.

 

I could live with that. After all, how many of us checked Nausicaa.net daily until the QuickTime trailer for Spirited Away dropped?


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Over the last few years, the main movie that comes to mind that I loved and enjoyed dreaming about was 'Avengers: Infinity War' and so seeing how the Russo Brothers directed that film, I am left wanting Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo to direct the next/future Star Wars film.

 

Infinity War succeeds despite the aggressively mediocre directing talents of the Russo brothers. The Avengers assemble scene, for example, was really cool to fans because of the years of buildup, but the whole sequence may as well have been directed by a 10-year old.

 

It's probably already been suggested, but I'd be curious to see what Mike Flanagan could do with SW (writing and directing.) He's great at giving us characters with depth, and he has an artistic directing style that could bring something new to SW. On the other hand, I really want him to start working on the next season of "Haunting", so maybe it's better if he doesn't get sidetracked with SW.

 

Touche!

And you’re lucky. I was actually kinda positive there about the MCU. Just critiquing the Russo Bros, which is pretty normal, as they’re not generally considered to be great directors...

 

Apparently they have the rights to Battle of the Planets. Would love to see them tackling that. Although I preferred it when it was called Gatchaman.

Seriously, though, I don't think it’s a coincidence that The Winter Soldier, Civil War and Infinity War are the best films of the MCU. You know, just saying. For me, the sheer cheese (you can almost smell it) of the final battle let's Endgame down.

 

Wonder Woman was better than the Avengers, so maybe Patty Jenkins should direct SW after she is done with Cleopatra.

 

I'm living in two worlds dividin' my time.
Unhappy In your world and lonesome in mine.

 

M. Night Shyamalan

Then he can add one of his signature twist endings that makes you say "whoa I never saw that coming!"

Like maybe Palpatine could still be alive, and everything that happened was his master plan all along. Oh, and the protagonist of this new installment is...get this...his granddaughter! Can't get more Shyamalan than that. That would truly be something, wouldn't it?

 

I still say Miyazaki.


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