Report: J.J. Abrams will direct new 'Star Wars' film for Disney
Studio has yet to confirm the 'Episode VII' news
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Disney has finally chosen a director for the first of many upcoming "Star Wars" films, and it's none other than J.J. Abrams.
“It’s done deal with J.J.,” a source told Deadline, adding that "Argo" director Ben Affleck was also also in the running. LA Times also reported the news.
HitFix reached out to Disney, but has not received any official confirmation as of yet.
Producer Kathleen Kennedy reportedly pushed for Abrams, who will be pulling double-duty in sci-fi franchise land, having just finished directing the upcoming sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness." Earlier, Abrams denied his involvement, citing scheduling difficulties. It's fairly astounding to think that one person is now calling the shots on two of the biggest sic-fi franchises in Hollywood history.
Not much is known about the next "Star Wars" film (billed as "Episode VII"), other than it's being written by Micheal Arndt ("Toy Story 3"), will form the basis of a new trilogy (at least) and that series creator George Lucas will be serving only as a consultant.
Rumors continue to swirl about the film's plot and whether it will directly tie into the ongoing story of the Skywalker family as depicted in the previous six films which started with 19977's original "Star Wars."
"Star Wars: Episode VII" is scheduled to be released in 2015, and will be the first film in the beloved series since 2005′s "Episode III: Revenge of The Sith."
What do you think of the news?
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January 24, 2013 at 6:28PM EST Reply to CommentNot that exciting but many worse choices they could hvae gone with. He will probably do a good job and the quality of the film mostly will depend on the script.
Mulderism
January 24, 2013 at 6:30PM EST Reply to CommentYou know, if you're going to get Abrams to direct then I'd like to know if Brett Ratner was ever a consideration.
Ratner is equally as capable as Abrams. They are both mediocre directors who get their films done on time and on budget.
As a bonus, Ratner is not tied to any gimmicks in his movies (e.g. lens flares). Plus he'd probably work a bit cheaper.
Stormshadow4life I don't love or hate him....but honestly, the only thing he's ever directed that I flat out loved was the Lost pilot. Everything else has been hit or miss
January 24, 2013 at 7:14PM ESTMulderism I agree the L O S T pilot was good.
January 24, 2013 at 7:20PM ESTAbrams is not terrible but he's not particularly good either. I found the action scenes in MI3 hard to follow with too much shakey-cam and quick shots. Same with Star Trek.
There are so many interesting directors around. Fincher, PT Anderson, del Toro. Why go with such an average, mainstream choice?
I honestly don't understand what everyone's love affair is with him.
goodhorse Actually Mulderism, George Lucas has never struck me as a particularly strong director either. It was the bold idea, the tapping into our love of legend and the cast (largely) that made Star Wars a phenomenon.
January 24, 2013 at 8:05PM ESTAnd a willingness to serialise and let Empire end on a minor key.
I think JJ has great chops and his strike record shows he has more chops than an average director.
DefRef @Mulderism - It can be asked what the love affair with Fincher, PT Barnum, I mean, Anderson, or del Toro is and why in a bazillion years they'd be suited for handling and epic space opera franchise like Star Wars?
January 24, 2013 at 8:07PM ESTFincher would make it look all sickly grey-green and have Trent Reznor write a "theme" that sounds like he fell asleep on his keyboard set to an ambient pad patch; P.T. Anderson would shoot in 70mm and only film snobs would pretend to like it, no one would see it; del Toro would have Doug Jones play a weird, exquisitely designed alien and then someone would get their face smashed in with a bottle, no one would see it.
It bespeaks the unserious nature of self-absorbed film nerds that they can only think of the most arcane auteurs for everything without a thought as to what the material actually would require.
Stormshadow4life I really don't even care who directs the movie. As long as the script is good (which it hasn't been for the last 4 movies), the FX are good (hit or miss with the prequels....bring back some real sets!), and the music is great (a given)....the movie would probably be pretty good, unless they hired an Uwe Boll
January 24, 2013 at 8:21PM ESTMulderism @defref. I'm talking about directors that have a fairly unique style in their work. These are all directors who are consistently doing interesting work and whose movies I am anxious to see because they did them. Of the three I mentioned del Toro would probably be the best fit for a SW film.
January 24, 2013 at 8:32PM ESTIf all they need is someone to show up and shoot the movie then Abrams is a good a director as any. But Ratner would be equally as good.
DefRef Then why not Woody Allen? Sure, the lead will be a whiny, neurotic space Jew (not the same as Ferengi) and shots will be five minutes long with minimal camera moves. The theme will so awesome done like Django Reinhardt style.
January 24, 2013 at 8:39PM ESTBetter yet....Wes Anderson! Camera moves will be restricted to parallel tracking shots or strict 90 degree pans. Special FX will be handmade by folk artists. Jason Schwartzman will be a Jedi master.
By all means, let's choose a director who will just get their greasy personal thumbprints all over the film so all the film nerds know it's their style, because stroking that knob is more important than anything.
Besides, everyone remembers Irvin Kirshner's trademark visual riffs, like how he.......ummmm........wait a second. o_O
Mulderism You've got issues dude.
January 24, 2013 at 8:48PM ESTelbmirb Mulderism, while i can appreciate the comments that J.J is pretty hit & miss and likely you could call his films competent at best... he's STILL lightyears ahead of Ratner, whose films are flat, lifeless, unfunny (seen Rush Hour 2, 3, Tower Heist dude?) Sure he brings things on budget but I'm pretty sure that wasn't the criteria Disney were looking for with this one. Sure J.J may be a little overhyped but he completely reinvigorated the Star Trek franchise and is well known for being somewhat of a fanboy himself... Ratner is best known for homophobic comments and broad racial stereotypes.
January 24, 2013 at 9:30PM ESTMulderism @ELBMIRB I'd say more "miss" than anything. Walking out of MI3 and ST I had the same reaction. Okay movies but I had no desire to see them again. Maybe it was the scripts but I wasn't impressed by any of the direction. And I can definitely pick scenes I disliked.
January 24, 2013 at 9:48PM ESTThe only Ratner movies I've seen are "X-Men 3", "Red Dragon" and the "Prison Break" pilot. All equally as competent as the two Abrams movies I saw. Ratner has a lot more experience as well.
futureman Yeah you are right, I used to think Abrams was better than Ratner but you opened my eyes. I'm now disappointed Ratner didn't get it. I like X-Men 3, Red Dragon and Prison Break more than any 3 things JJ Abrams has done too! X-Men 3 is the best X-men movie, Red Dragon is the best Hannibal Lecter movie and Prison Break is the best show about a guy with a prison map tattoo.
January 25, 2013 at 12:00AM ESTBigAl6ft6 Empire Strikes Back is the most visually distinctive Star Wars flick, you take that back.
January 25, 2013 at 1:57AM ESTDefRef Because Kershner brought his distinctive, trademark visual style noted for.........well, what exactly? What about his style as exhibited in Empire makes a viewer watching Never Say Never Again or Robocop 2 think, "Ahhh, the classic Kershner visual."
January 25, 2013 at 2:36AM ESTMind you, I'm not dissing Kersh or Empire in the least - though I think Peter Suschitzky's cinematography is more important to the look of the film (he's also shot every Cronenberg flick since Dead Ringers) - but am just putting the lie to the weepy film nerd emo fits that what Star Wars needs is a director who will make a film in their distinctive sensibility and not a director who can make a great Star Wars movie.
Angry film nerds see things in typically binary terms: directors are either auteurs or hacks, nothing in between. Snob darlings like Mulderism pines for are infallible paragons of cinematic deityhood and everyone else is a dirty cohort of Uwe Boll if not worse.
Abrams has made exactly THREE movies that we've seen so far: M:I-3 reinvigorated the franchise was was one of the two best flicks in the series; Star Trek was the first Trek film that looked like a FILM and not a glorified TV episode (and the teaser for Into Darkness looks even bigger); and Super 8's weakness was the half-hearted monster plot that has Speilberg's fingerprints all over it. The part about kids in 1979 making a little zombie movie was gold. (I love the little bits of lens flare he slipped in specifically to evoke nerd rage in the haters.)
Abrams can handle actors AND spectacle and while I'm not 110% certain of success for Ep. VII, it's not like he's got a sketchy record. Even Spielberg couldn't get back into the swing of things for Indy IV.
Mulderism Defref. You're the one foaming at he mouth, not me. I disagree about MI3 and Star Trek. Neither of those movies stood out in my mind.
January 25, 2013 at 3:52AM ESTBut hey, why not play it safe. You definitely get that from Abrams. That's why Ratner would be good too.
Action_Kate
January 24, 2013 at 6:35PM EST Reply to CommentOoh, does that mean he can cast Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain again? The more franchises Cumberbatch is in the merrier, as far as I'm concerned.
Intellectual Ninja
January 24, 2013 at 6:40PM EST Reply to CommentAnd here comes the trolling hate.
Abrams is a very good director.
The MI franchise was DEAD until he came in and directed the best one up to that point.
Super * was very good, especially in the quite moments.
He will direct the hell out of Star Wars, and anyone saying differently is just flat-out jealous, suffering nerd-rage that "one of us" actually got to go out and do exactly what you secretly wanted to do your whole life.
Get over it already. A-holes.
G.M. So this!
January 24, 2013 at 8:44PM ESTJohn Completely agree. Abrams is a safe pair of hands which is exactly what star wars needs atm. Someone who can deliver a good solid film and bing the franchise back after those awful prequels.
January 24, 2013 at 9:32PM ESTJohn
January 24, 2013 at 6:45PM EST Reply to CommentI can't wait to see the giant red sphere that is integral to the plot somehow.
velocityknown
January 24, 2013 at 6:50PM EST Reply to CommentIf lens flares are all you can come up with to criticize Abrams, then you need to re-evaluate your criticism.
I think this is a fine choice. Affleck would've been too, by the way.
filaphresh I'm worried about a mythology that already got convoluted in the prequels getting gilded by the creator of Lost (and the later seasons of Alias). I'm not looking forward to the giant plot holes we saw in the Star Trek either. I don't think he'll be terrible, and it's got to be better than the prequels, but there were a bunch of directors I'd have picked before him.
January 24, 2013 at 7:01PM ESTsomeperson @Filaphresh: Producer of Lost. All the convoluted issues with that show (which I personally don't agree with) lay with Lindelof. Just as the plot holes in Star Trek lie with its writers.
January 24, 2013 at 7:14PM ESTfilaphresh @Someperson: Yeah, besides what you said, I realized that I didn't read carefully enough and that they have a writer already and it won't be Abrams. His directing style is fine, and I have confidence in Arndt's writing, so I hereby revoke all my earlier (quite stupid) criticism.
January 24, 2013 at 7:21PM ESTmridge1 @FILAPHRESH Keep in mind that the issues with the script for 'Star Trek' can be attributed to the writer's guild strike that happened during production. As per the regulations, no rewrites could happen leaving them pressed to film the script as is. I think the film ended up pretty well considering that but there was a few glaring errors looking back.
January 24, 2013 at 9:31PM ESTI took it as a really great sign that they pushed back the release of 'Star Trek Into Darkness' in order to finely tune the script.
goodhorse
January 24, 2013 at 8:00PM EST Reply to CommentCongratulations Mr Abrams!
This is great news if true. JJ has genuine flare (no pun intended) - his movies look great, are lots of fun and he strikes me as intelligent and thoughtful.
He brings a load of talent and considerable experience to this project, as well as a lot of personal passion (his love of Star Wars is well documented).
Now if we can all just get a little perspective and remember it's just another movie (albeit one from a beloved series)and not prejudge it until opening day, that will be grand.
Good luck JJ.
Action_Kate "Opening Day" -- yes, it will be entertaining to watch the Star Wars fandom go through the lack of spoilers/advance press/script leaks which Trekkies are currently suffering. A little Starsenfreude for our side. :)
January 24, 2013 at 8:53PM ESTAmerican Jedi
January 24, 2013 at 9:25PM EST Reply to CommentI think Abrams is a great talent, but even if you don't you have to at least admit that we will at least be getting a "good" Star Wars movie out of this. You don't cringe when the characters speak in a JJ Abrams movie. In the prequel era, the movies looked fantastic but the dialogue and acting was, as we all know, way, way hit and miss.
We now can saw with confidence for the first time since per-May 1999 that we are going to get a good Star Wars movie that won't be insanely embarassing.
mridge1
January 24, 2013 at 9:36PM EST Reply to CommentIf it is indeed JJ Abrams then at least we know the property will be treated with some respect. As people have mentioned, the script is key here; I just hope it's not rushed to meet that 2015 release date.
Gurgi
January 24, 2013 at 9:47PM EST Reply to CommentI'm a big fan of JJ Abrams, but Star Trek and now Star Wars--seems like an unnecessary monopoly on beloved sci fi franchises. Here's hoping that he nails episode VII and sets the stage for two other directors to complete VIII and IX. Kind of like the "Harry Potter" series which benefited immensely from that creative diversity of its different directors.
FistOSalmon
January 24, 2013 at 10:12PM EST Reply to CommentIt's not the worst news but t's a disappointing choice. Abrams is a serviceable director but frankly his movies have all had issues with pacing and I've never had the slightest desire to see any of them a second time. I suppose it was too much to hope for a visionary director like Fincher and I suppose if he shoots the script he's handed and keeps his usual collaborators Lindeloff, Orci and Kurtzman a million miles away from the production he'll turn out a Star Wars movie comparable to one of the better prequels.
I have to nod my head to Mulderism and his comparison to Ratner, Abrams is a competent journeyman director but that's about it. I do hope he's a director for hire, Abrams has his name attached to way too much crap to make him a good steward of the franchise moving ahead.
All in all the announcement leaves me about as excited as I was for the animated Clone Wars series when it was announced: Looking forward to it but if for some reason things fell through and it had never happened I wouldn't have lost a lot of sleep. Makes me a little sad but I'll try to remember I'm a grown man and it's just a movie and just enjoy looking forward to a new Star Wars crawl.
Jeff How about Scorsese? I know he wouldn't be interested but the man can still make great films and its a out of nowhere suggestion.
January 24, 2013 at 11:21PM ESTFistOSalmon Scorsese for Star Wars? He'd never do it but yeah, as long as he's over his casting DiCaprio fetish I'd pay extra to see that.
January 25, 2013 at 2:43AM ESTPersonally I'd hoped they'd tap Frank Darabont at least for the first one but considering some of the names circulating it could have been worse. I'm not 100% on Brad Bird but he made a better Mision Impossible movie than Abrams and there's a few young directors I thought could step up as interesting choices, Gareth Edwards and Josh Trank come to mind.
At the end of the day I think Abrams is a known quantity and makes a better than middling to good Star Wars and I'm just a little sad that in lieu of bringing in a real master (which is what I really wanted) they didn't roll the dice a little bit and bring in someone new with a bigger ceiling.
The one thing I do like about Abrams is his penchant for secrecy. At this point I don't read anything about something this big beyond casting and I skip every trailer after the teaser. I want to be surprised by the new Star Wars movie.
Rob
January 24, 2013 at 11:54PM EST Reply to CommentI'd just like to point out in regards to Disney not confirming it yet, earlier in the evening Diane Sawyer mentioned the story on world news tonight. Call me crazy but when ABC news, a Disney company, reports on it, you can call it confirmed.
SlackerInc
January 25, 2013 at 4:11PM EST Reply to CommentI just hope they get away from the single-minded Jedi obsession. Han Solo was the best thing about the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy was nothing but Jedi Jedi Jedi...nothing like a snarky smuggler anywhere in sight (nor an equivalent of Chewie, the droids, or original-flavour sarcastic Leia for that matter). Luke was the weakest element of the original films and the Emperor sucked too.
Jim
January 26, 2013 at 9:50PM EST Reply to CommentFeh. There's lovers of JJ and haters. I am in between. Honestly, he's just a Hollywood mainstream director, most notable for his TV shows (in which he tends to abandon down the road... I feel sorry for Trek fans too should he abandon that.)
I know JJ fans will bash me for saying that, but that's how I see it. He doesn't impress me all the time nor does he make want to throw up. I'm very in the center. MI3 - I was neutral about it. Trek - Not Star Trek whatsoever (I don't think he knows what the franchise is). Super 8 - Seen it, done that.
I think he's more of an action orientated director, but not a Michael Bay, so there's a plus. He can deal with actors and their characters but he does have a weakness when it comes to plot. Maybe it has to do with his usual collaborators, but Super 8 did have meh moments too and he wrote the thing.
There's no doubt that Episode VII will have have rapid quick cuts, character centered, lens flare, explosions, action scenes coming out of your rear end -- all the JJ certified features.
Star Wars will never be the same. It's not JJ's fault. That's just his style. It's because of CGI and shortcuts over the traditional special effects and costumes that made SW memorable for me.