J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars Episode VII

[Mitch Henessey]

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.

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"Argo" director Ben Affleck was also in contention, another individual with knowledge of the talks told TheWrap.

Ever since Disney bought Lucasfilm last year and announced it would make new "Star Wars" films, fans, members of the media and industry executives have speculated about which director would take the job. Abrams' name always came up, but he told Entertainment Weekly in November that he wasn't going to take the job.

He did say "Star Wars" was the first movie that "blew my mind" in terms of special effects.

Also Read: 'Little Miss Sunshine' Writer Michael Arndt to Pen 'Star Wars:Episode VII'

Lucasfilm Chief Kathleen Kennedy has been courting Abrams, one of the most successful directors and producers in Hollywood -- and a man beloved by fanboys. He runs one of the industry's top production companies, Bad Robot, and created or co-created television franchises like "Lost," "Fringe" and "Alias." He has also directed film spectacles "Mission: Impossible III," "Star Trek" and "Super 8."

The lure of the Jedi was too strong, and it will no doubt complicate his relationship with Paramount, where Bad Robot is a top supplier. Abrams has been feverishly working on "Star Trek Into Darkness," his second Star Trek film since he rebooted the franchise in 2009. "Into Darkness," still in post-production, opens May 18.

Though he has several producing jobs in front of him, Abrams had been uncommitted as a director. He will have to jump right into "Star Wars," which Disney has slated for a 2015 release. "Little Miss Sunshine" screenwriter Michael Arndt is penning the script.

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.

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/jj-abrams-set-direct-next-star-wars-film-exclusive-74596

Affleck for a Star Wars film? Such an odd choice......

Anyway, I'm glad Abrams is taking helm for Episode 7. When you think of grandiose and extravagant filmmaking in Hollywood, Abrams is a front-runner for putting out the best quality films. Guillermo del Toro was rumored to be a top choice a while ago, but I'm kind of glad he turned it down.

 

[JGlass]

I wonder how many hardcore Trekies/Star Wars equivalent of Trekies feel horribly betrayed?

I really liked Star Trek and I really hated Super 8. I've never seen his television work but I'm told that I don't really have to.

What I do know about J.J. Abrams is that he has the ability to go superdork on us, and I think that's exactly what needs to happen with Star Wars episode 7. After the abortion that was the new trilogy Star Wars geeks need fanservice, and lots of it. They need loyalty to the original trilogy, books, and whatever else qualifies as Star Wars canon. I'm guessing that J.J. is exactly the dude to provide them with that.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I'm mixed on Abrams. Star Trek was a good film, but I wasn't a fan of camera work and his constant use of lens flairs. Super 8 was kind of shit. I haven't seen MI3, but I've heard good things. I didn't care for Lost. I can't comment on his other TV work.

I think he will do a good job, because he has close ties to Steven Spielberg, and outside of Super 8, he seems to have improved once Spielberg took him under his wing.

For the record I don't hate the new trilogy. Phantom Menace is pretty much hot garbage, but Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith are decent films if you put bias aside.

 

[Piss Bucket]

Meh, the hardcore Star Wars beards would complain even if they got the best director on the Planet for the next trilogy, I don't think they have though, I wasn't really a fan of the Trek reboot, and having seen trailers for Star Trek into Darkness on Youtube I doubt the new movie will be good (and yes, I am aware that trailers on Youtube are probably fake).

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Meh, the hardcore Star Wars beards would complain even if they got the best director on the Planet for the next trilogy, I don't think they have though, I wasn't really a fan of the Trek reboot, and having seen trailers for Star Trek into Darkness on Youtube I doubt the new movie will be good (and yes, I am aware that trailers on Youtube are probably fake).

You're talking about the Episode 7 trailers right? Because this is clearly fake:

[YOUTUBE]8q99q5dV2ko[/YOUTUBE]

But the Star Trek trailers are 100% real:

[YOUTUBE]mdgRx94W5ko[/YOUTUBE]

Also, PLEASE don't re-hire Hayden Christensen. Christensen was slightly better In Episode III, but he was god awful in Attack Of The Clones.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

JJ Abrams' original work sucks (Super 8 was nothing more than an attempt by Abrams to cinematically ******e the man he worships and, unlike Spielberg's 70s/80s efforts, it was fucking horrible) but Star Trek was decent. As the last three Star Wars films can attest, George Lucas doing nothing but sitting on his fat ass and counting residual checks for 21 years really ruined his directorial abilities. It'll be interesting to see how good this film turns out to be.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Ok, Abrams is the "hmm ok" pick... Matthew Vaughn was the "right" guy and he has clearly screwed himself out of it by quitting two to many X-Men films to be considered reliable. Strangely I could have seen Affleck doing it, but it would have been a fanboys version where as the one thing Abrams knows how to do is an honest take on the original material that will appease fanboys... he can tone down his own geekiness and that showed in both MI3 and Star Trek.

MI3 was interesting as it was rebooting a "doomed" franchise (MI2, much as I love Woo was just awful) and most importantly, taking it out of the hands of the person "who owned it" in that case Tom Cruise. Cruise had made the first 2 and while the original was excellent, the 2nd was a classic Lucas-esque ride into his own anus... Without spoilers, the first 3 minutes of MI-3 saved the series and set the tone of what JJ was going for... he had a bad ass villain, Cruise totally at his mercy and a hook... what the fuck was the Rabbits foot? but then, the fuse, the music... and it's MI...

Move on to Star Trek and you have the same thing, only this was a franchise owned by the Trekkies... they had spent years plotting, casting, dreaming and someone had to rein it in and actually make a movie... Abrams was that guy and again first 10 minutes he has set the tone... you have Kirk as a hero (George) a rebellious James T and destroying the doubt that Spock is more human than Vulcan and by the time we're in that "cantina-esque" bar scene you know that a) Chris Pine IS Kirk, b) Uhura is as Roddenberry intended (sassy, hot and THE woman in the room) and Pike is crucial...

But Abrams kills people early, very early... every time... he makes you care and takes them out...

Now here is where my first concern is, Star Wars has an iconic opening for each movie that cannot be fucked with ever... that's not fanboy talk, it just won't work without the Williams fanfare and screen crawl... but where JJ will have his moment is that first shot... Episode 4 we had the Star Destroyer... without plot detials or casting it'll be hard to guess... but my money is on it being the death of Chewbacca... Peter Mayhew is old but again so would Chewie be... he is a perfect character to kill in the first 5 minutes to set in motion the events of the new trilogy. WIll it be a Comedian/Watchmen style thing, no, Chewie will go all rage and fight to the death but IF Harrison Ford is gonna be there that is the moment for him to be there, he finds Chewie, they say goodbye and someone blasts Han (giving Ford what he wanted years ago)...

That is an Abrams beginning that can fuel a trilogy...

 

[HBKistheHOF]

As a Star Wars fan since diapers & someone who is on the fence about J.J. Abrams, I am pretty nervous for Episode VII. Now not only is Disney in control but a completely new director who hasn't worked on the franchise before. I enjoyed Cloverfield & the unique take on a "monster movie" but most seem to disagree, LOST never did much of anything for me, I havn't seen Star Trek & the new one does not look interesting to me & I will most likely not see it, & while I thought Super 8 was pretty well done, I thought the ending & last few scenes were just awful, didn't fit the mood originally set up through out the film & was basically a boring, cookie-cutter, goodie-two shoes, "Hollywood" ending (& with Abrams working with Disney now, this worries me even more).

So maybe I'm just not an Abrams fan but after so many fans having problems with the episode I-III re-boot trilogy & now Disney owning the right, I think most fans would agree with me when I say I just hope they stay as true as possible to the original films & don't dishonor such a great franchise.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The one thing Disney has gotten right is not screwing with acquired properties... Marvel being a case in point... it ain't broke and they haven't tried to fix it, at least for that movie universe... of course what they then do with Pixar etc is another matter.

for Episodes 7-9 you will be in good hands that it won't get messed with, other than the new one may be darker first as the evil has to re-appear and do so quickly, so any nastiness will be early, like my example... but the thing to be scared of is what they then do with the rest of the universe in other ways... Boba Fett Movie, hell yeah... Droids the Movie... far more likely and less welcome...

 

[Kermit]

I have been thinking about the future of this movie over the last couple days, and I think that I have finally convinced myself. This movie is going to shatter box office records and possibly set a lofty record that may stand for awhile. I may be jumping the gun, but I think this movie has everything it needs to be one of the top grossing movies of all time. It has the name value, pull with older and younger audiences, and the family friend Disney logo on its backside. All it has to be is good. It doesn't even have to be great, but at least something worth watching.

What do you guys think?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Yeah, Episode VII is going to be a huge box office smash no matter what. Phantom Menace will always be remembered as the bastard child of the Star Wars films, but look at the numbers.

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=starwars.htm

Of course, Episode VII won't have the luxury of The Phantom Menace's long layoff after Jedi, but as far as box office profits go, the new Star Wars film shouldn't have any trouble surpassing Episode III.

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=starwars3.htm

Having the Disney machine push the new Star Wars films is a huge bonus, and Star Wars fans should go into this film with the "well, nothing can be as bad as Phantom Menace, or all the prequels combined" mentality. And George Lucas isn't sitting behind the camera anymore.

But I won't predict numbers that surpass or match Avatar, The Avengers, the last Harry Potter film, or The Dark Knight, because that's a really big step.