Star Wars Ep. VII Megathread: The Force Awakens (2 Viewers)

[Jose Martinez]

Interesting that Ben Affleck was also being courted.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Not a big fan. Hated his Trek, but that might have been more the writing. Oh, well. I don't really care about Episode VII anyway.

 

[SilverWook]

Didn't Abrams publicly state he wasn't interested, (and committed to the Trek movie franchise) just a couple weeks ago?

 

[MattBradley]

The teaser trailer alone will make this worth it!

 

[TravisR]

Didn't Abrams publicly state he wasn't interested, (and committed to the Trek movie franchise) just a couple weeks ago?

I guess he was trying to throw people off the trail? Heaven knows that it wouldn't be the first time that he kept a secret from the public. I know Abrams gets alot of static for his level of secrecy but I'm glad there's still one guy out there who wants people to be surprised when they actually see the movie rather than reading about it online or analyzing a trailer frame by frame months before the fact.

 

[Sean Bryan]

I think it's a great choice. The energy and fun he brought to Star Trek would fit Star Wars perfectly. Kinda funny, though, that the same guy is doing the two biggest Sci-Fi properties. The only potential downside I can see is that "Trek" and "Wars" have always been their own things and with JJ doing both they'll probably have more of a similar feel, even though they are two compeletely different worlds. As much as I like the work of Michael Giacchino in Abrams' work, I'm not sure he should use him for Star Wars. But only because it'll probably sound too similar to Trek. Still, I think this has a chance at being pretty damn good now.

 

[Norm]

I guess he was trying to throw people off the trail? Heaven knows that it wouldn't be the first time that he kept a secret from the public. I know Abrams gets alot of static for his level of secrecy but I'm glad there's still one guy out there who wants people to be surprised when they actually see the movie rather than reading about it online or analyzing a trailer frame by frame months before the fact.

or maybe he had no intention of doing it until Disney made him an offer he couldn't refuse! People do change their minds & he is a major fan.

 

[SilverWook]

I have no problem with someone changing their mind. The internet driven entertainment news beast these days probably requires a white lie or two while delicate negotiations are going on. John Williams hasn't retired has he? I would think he's been asked whether or not he wants to come back and score another one by now.

 

[SamT]

I'm not very excited about J.J. Abrams directing. He is not a great director and I'm afraid it will be generic and bland. But it's still a lot better than Lucas writing/directing. I read that Ben Affleck was considered too. I would have been more excited if he was going to direct it.

 

[DaveF]

Di

Didn't Abrams publicly state he wasn't interested, (and committed to the Trek movie franchise) just a couple weeks ago?

Disney moved the Island. The timeline changed. Abrams is interested in this timeline.

 

[Sam Favate]

I think it's a good choice and Abrams brings several things to the film with him that will help. For one, Harrison Ford's involvement became more likely - Ford worked with screenwriter Abrams (when he was Jeffrey Abrams on 1991's Regarding Henry) and seems to respect him. Since Abrams is such an in-demand filmmaker and everyone seems to want to work with him, he'll probably be able to get the best talent, including John Williams. (If Williams declines, Giacchino is a sure thing.)
I'm glad that Abrams isn't developing the script or the storyline though. Most of his properties have a sameness to them, and an overarching backstory that, frankly, loses cohesion upon inspection (Alias, Lost, etc.). And nothing he ever does is going to be as inspected as Star Wars. Glad he is on board for this episode; hope Disney explores other filmmakers for XIII and IX.
I'd also be willing to bet that this means he will almost certainly not be involved in directing a third Star Trek movie.

 

[Sean Bryan]

I suppose his involvement in a third Trek depends on when Paramount would like the third to be released and if Abrams is just doing episode 7 or 8/9 as well. If this is supposed to be out summer 2015 then he obviously couldn't get another Trek out the same year. But I'd bet he could do it if they're shooting for a 2016 Trek 3. I'd prefer it not be another 4 years between Treks again, so if he couldn't make the 2016 date then I'd hope they use someone else but keep the same production team. But yes, It's definitely much less likely that he'll be directing Trek 3 now.

 

[Sam Posten]

I didn't come up with it:

The JJ stands for JarJar!

 

[Patrick Sun]

So... how much lens flare are we going to get in Episode VII? Not an ardent fan of JJ Abrams. I was secretly holding out for Alphonso Cuaron (he's on my short list for most anything with a good script).

 

[Brian Dobbs]

Abrams directing Star Wars is a good thing. :tu:

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Counting down the seconds before the internet is flooded with pictures of the lightsabers filling up the screen with lens flares.....

 

[Bryan^H]

Abrams is a good fit. I just hope the pacing, and story of the film is somewhere between the original trilogy(slower, more defined for story) and the prequels(faster paced). I get so excited just thinking about the possible story for this one. When details start to leak(THE SOONER THE BETTER) I'll probably pass out. When I post about that, expect to see a lot of these: :jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop: By the way, what do you guys think....will they have a different famous director for every installment?

 

[Chris Will]

Well, if Williams can't or won't score it then Giacchino was my first choice, JJ directing makes that a huge possibility. Giacchino scored the music of the new Star Tours ride at Disney so he's already had a crack at these themes. There's a making of the score video out there for the new Star Tours ride and the music sound really good.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Giacchino would be a great choice for the score. I have no doubt he'd respect the originals while at the same time creating some new "flavors". He's one of the few "orchestral" composers left - the polar opposite of Hans Zimmer - and his style would be the best match for Star Wars, IMO. His works have been varied enough that they don't all sound alike (see James Horner), which is another plus in my book. While I'm an Abrams fan, I do hope that the overall feel and style of his Star Wars remains distinct from his Star Trek films. I suppose that's my biggest concern after hearing the news. Time will tell.

 

[SamT]

I say JJ should make a crossover with Star Trek where the new stars of Star Wars meet the new cast of Start Trek for the first time!