What I'm saying is, why would Lucas want to neuter an incredible talent on a Star Wars movie?  A Lynch directed Jedi probably wouldn't have been all that different from the Marquand version because the determining factor is Lucas...he oversaw that film...he probably could've claimed and gotten a co-director credit.  Seems if he really respected Lynch he might have thought about giving him a deal to direct something personal.  Dune is great, but that was purely an assignment and many of Lynch's ideas were squashed.  He hated that experience.

 

...I think that's fairly likely, really.  

Jon Favreau seems like such a perfect in-house choice, but I guess he's busy?
 

From what I can see, Favreau is linked with Battle for Bonneville and has just signed onto Magic Kingdom with... Wouldn't you know... Disney (His Marvel history notwithstanding, of course). He was supposed to be deep in pre-production on Jersey Boys by now, but Warner just dropped the project according to Collider.

 

I'd say there's enough there for the Tin Hat Brigade to get musing. Could mean something, could mean fuck all, but I suspect that Disney's looking for someone with a proven track record with action/genre stuff but not a household name. Favreau would fit the bill nicely, as would Campbell for that matter. 

Jersey Boys got put in turn around and Magic Kingdom stalled. Favs is open...

Oh, come on -- Spielberg. I know he's not the most "interesting" choice, but I ruddy well want to see a Steven Spielberg Star Wars film.

For one thing, a Spielberg directed Star Wars film will look bloody great in IMAX.
 

A Spielberg directed Star Wars film would be like...a Spielberg directed Star Wars film.  Kind of speaks for itself.

 

Only if it's written by Tony Kushner.

 

(I'm kidding, people.)

 

(Or am I?)

 

(I am.)

(Or am you?)

I do like this Campbell suggestion.

Bruce Campbell in a Star Wars movie. Because why not?

As a bigger Spielberg fan than Star Wars fan, I don't really relish the idea of him doing it, not that I think it is at all realistic. His most likely response would be "Not without my buddy George."

 

I like Tarantino's quote when asked about it:

 

Ouch. I guess QT isn't screening Expendables 2 at his next dinner party.

 

But I'm with you there QT - I'm not interested in the Simon West version of Star Wars either. 

 

SkierPete

 

P.S. I am surprised no one has done up a "Buzz Lightyear as Luke Skywalker" sketch. After all, Zurg was his father!

That is an ACE burn by QT. ACE.

Clearly QT is forgetting Simon West directed the music video for Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up."

Did Tarantino really say that?  Fucking awesome.  Guy read my mind.

Is he saying he anticipates the future movies being shallow or lacking a certain edge that the others had? I've never perceived Star Wars to be particularly dark, edgy, gritty, etc., so I initially found his comment rather perplexing. Making it more kid friendly wouldn't necessarily eliminate most of its original appeal, right?

 

On the other hand, there's stuff like the famous scene in which Han Solo shoots some alien dude before the guy can shoot him. I'm not too familiar with the movies of the Star Wars franchise, but I've been around enough online discussion about them know that's one of the more beloved (and controversial, in a good way, as people love to theorize about it) ones. I don't know if scenes like that one are commonplace in the Star Wars movies, but I think it's a safe bet you can kiss them goodbye with future Star Wars movies under the Disney banner.

 

Spielberg just said he's not doing it (via Access Hollywood):

 

 

Quote:

 

So he's out.

Tells it like it is, yo.

Tarantino says all kinds of things.

 

Like how The Devil's Rejects is a good movie.

Don't worry it's OK: he said he COULD care less.

Okay, I just re-evaluated him.

 

What Tarantino said is contextual and subtextual at the same time, which is why it's fucking genius.  His comment is about the movie business as a whole.

So StarWars.com has confirmed that Michael Arndt is writing the screenplay.  I liked Little Miss Sunshine and obviously Toy Story 3 is great, so seems like a good enough start.  This is definitely the most important element.

If one really wants to parse QT's words he did say he "could so care less", not "couldn't care less", so technically he could still be interested. Just throwing a bone to the pedants.

 

This pedant appreciates it. Hey, someone's got to care about this shit.

 

As much as I agree with not wanting a Simon West Star Wars, it echoes this weird paranoia going around SW being swallowed by this evil corporation because, well, it's Disney. Not that those sorts of fears aren't understandable, but considering the fact that Lucas's reign had come to be hated as a big, soulless cash-grab by pretty much everyone it feels a bit disingenuous. As soon as the guy walks away, suddenly the respect for his authorship shoots up again. Maybe ol' George is smarter than he's been making out after all. 

 

Anyway, as much as I love QT he would've been a terrible choice for Star Wars; it's just not him at all. I would've loved to see Spielberg take the reins, but had a feeling he wouldn't be interested. And hey, Zack Snyder also said he didn't want to do it so we can all relax on that count!

 

Arndt ssounds like a solid choice, so it sounds like they're getting off to a good start at least.

Tarantino conveniently forgetting that most of his movies came out via a Disney-owned company, there.

Does anyone really think Tarantino would be a good choice anyway? I mean, come on. This kind of talk is ridiculous at its very core. Him dismissing it probably has a hell of a lot more to do with who he is then Star Wars, or Lucasfilm or Disney or anything.

Werner Herzog for Star Wars!

Jodorowsky for Star Wars!

 

You honestly think he'd forgotten that?

I would pay so much money to see this!

My ultimate never will happen pick would be Darren Aronofsky. Or Roman Polanski.

My money's on Joe Johnston. Not only has he known Lucas forever, he's a solid director, and he designed most the cool stuff in Empire.

For me, only one entry in the entire franchise was really well directed, ESB, so it's not like the directing bar is high to begin with. 

I would think a QT Star Wars would be about the scum and villainy that hang out in *Mos Eisleys.

 

*Yeah I know I spelled it wrong.

Frederick Wiseman's Star Wars Episode VII: Tatooine Follies.

The last thing I would watch (sober anyway) was a QT directed Star Wars movie. Too bad Spielberg openly refused, That could have been interesting.

Maybe Spielberg declined because the storyline is too similar to Interstellar and he doesn't want to repeat himself?

 

Joking. God, I hope I'm joking. 

Long-winded blog post about what I do and don't want from the Star Wars revival.  

As long as the new film doesn't contain the words "Christmas" and "Special" I think I will live.

I actually really like Schwartz's idea of Drew Goddard...better, in fact, than Joss Whedon, even if he was available, which he wouldn't be. Whedon's too distinctive a writer, which sounds mean to Goddard, but I think being able to adapt yourself to a particular pre-existing style is a talent in and of itself too.

 

I really think the best likely name being floated, however, is Brad Bird. He sounds somewhat occupied, but come on, if Star Wars comes knocking...

 

Martin Campbell would be a good choice, too, I think, Green Lantern or no Green Lantern--I think that movie suffered from executive indecision. He really knows how to do solid, propulsive action storytelling, which is, I think, crucial for Star Wars, plus of course he's already meshed well with one big-name franchise. Jon Favreau is a good suggestion, too--he's shown himself to be good at bringing humanity to blockbusters, which is something Star Wars desperately needs, and I love his philosophy of using all different varieties of FX tools, not just wall-to-wall CGI.

 

You know who else I think might make an oddly good Star Wars director? Edgar Wright. Admittedly he's a pretty distinctively berserk stylist, and would probably have to tone it down a bit...plus as a few people have been saying, I'm not sure I want a really unique and creative filmmaker to be wrapped up in Star Wars instead of making their own flick...but getting him to do one movie just somehow feels right. Probably won't happen, of course (though doesn't Wright hang out with Peter Jackson, who in turn hangs out with Spielberg? Seems like he's in the right circles to at least be considered...)

 

As for Arndt, I loathed Little Miss Sunshine, but I do feel like he might be right for this. Star Wars doesn't need a Charlie Kaufman, it needs someone who can write a script with really really rock-solid structure and momentum, and I have to admit LMS had that. This could be a Paul-Haggis-writing-Casino Royale situation, where the guy's a complete hack when he tries to produce "prestige" movies but has a grasp of fun pulp.
 

You know what? Andrew Stanton for director. I think John Carter proved he's a good director, just one that shouldn't necessarily have the keys to the candy store, so playing by someone else's rulebook could be good for him (and leave a well-off luminary like Brad Bird or whoever free to do his own thing). 

Didn't Andrew Stanton just gleefully set fire to $200 million of Disney's money?

Well he co-wrote TinTin, so the link is a bit closer, but I can't see him doing it.

Well Tarantino's movies were hardly watered down or Disnified, were they?

Brad Bird is still the man for the job as far as I'm concerned. I find a lot of the geek favourites wildly inappropriate (Edgar Wright??) - all this needs is someone with a natural flair for telling broadly appealing stories with heart, excitement and at least a little bit of brains.

Campbell and Joe Johnson are too inconsistent and frequently mediocre, Stanton blew it with John Carter, Spielberg doesn't want to do it, Abrams is basically already making his Star Wars movies, but Bird has the chops and the track record. And while he has his own projects I get the sense that mass entertainment like this is the kind of movie he *wants* to make. I mean he kept comparing his big pet project 1906 to Titanic.

 Don't worry. It'll be a Life Day Celebration.

 

 

 

I don't want to see Edgar Wright do episodes 7-9. I want him to play in the sandbox after the trilogy when they're finally doing the Boba Fett and Han Solo films.

 I'm not really on board with Joe Johnson because the action scenes in Captain America where weak. Everything else in that movie is top notch, but that is what keeps me from actually buying it.

I'm thinking more in terms of getting a different director for each movie, so it wouldn't be about putting Bird or Goddard or Johnson in charge for the whole new trilogy. (I do like the Johnson idea, he's another solid journeyman who occasionally brushes greatness, like Martin Campbell.) Among other things, I like most of these guys enough that I want to see them do their own movies. Plus, this means that even if Bird doesn't do VII he might be available for VIII, or what have you.