Posts Tagged ‘Lucasfilm’

It’s official: J.J. Abrams to direct Star Wars: Episode VII

- January 26th, 2013

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After reports surfaced yesterday that J.J. Abrams had agreed to direct Star Wars: Episode VII , Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed the news Friday night.

The official announcement was released online by Lucasfilm, Disney and Abrams.

“It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said executive producer Kathleen Kennedy. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”

George Lucas added, “I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honour,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”

Abrams had previously denied any interest in directing the film when it was announced last fall. But his name was in the mix along with Jon Favreau, Matthew Vaughn, David Fincher and, more recently, Ben Affleck.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be written by Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt.

The film is due in 2015, with Abrams’ Star Trek sequel hitting theatres this May.

So does Abrams’ involvement in Star Wars mean the end of his run in the captain’s chair of the Trek franchise? And, more importantly, does Abrams have the credentials to relaunch Lucas’ revered series? Sound off in the comments below.

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J.J. Abrams reportedly agrees to direct ‘Star Wars 7′

- January 24th, 2013

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, J.J. Abrams has agreed to direct Star Wars Episode VII.

Along with Matthew Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Ben Affleck and David Fincher, the Star Trek director was one of the names being bandied around after Disney announced plans for a new trilogy last fall. Abrams even confirmed in an interview last month that he had conversations with producer Kathleen Kennedy about directing the new films, but turned it down.

“[T]here were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan, I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version of those things,” he told Empire (via Coming Soon). “I declined any involvement very early on. I’d rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them.”

Well it appears the force was too much for Abrams to resist, which most likely puts his future involvement with the rebooted Star Trek series in jeopardy.

The deal hasn’t been officially announced, but the film is due in 2015, with Episode VIII and IX following in three-year increments. So, Abrams will have to get cracking soon.

Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) is writing the script, with Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg penning the other two.

So, with that settled, what do you think of Abrams as Disney’s Star Wars choice? Good, bad, indifferent? Let us know in the comments.

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Zack Snyder denies he’s directing ‘Star Wars’ spinoff

- January 14th, 2013

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Well that was short-lived.

After Vulture reported earlier today that Man of Steel director Zack Snyder was planning to helm a non-trilogy Star Wars film based on Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, his reps quashed the rumour in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

“While he is super flattered because he is a huge fan, Zack is not involved in any way with the new Star Wars. He is currently in post on his two films, Man of Steel and 300: Battle of Artemisia.”

So what did you think of the idea of a stand-alone Star Wars film? Was it a good move for the franchise to be plotting spinoffs? Let us know in the comments.

The original post is below because, well, the concept seemed super cool.

So we still have no info on a director for Star Wars: Episode VII, but we’re getting word that Zack Snyder is developing a new stand-alone film set within the Star Wars universe.

According to Vulture, the feature will be based on on Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, but it will be separate from the new trilogy Disney is planning for 2015.

It also won’t hit theatres until after Episode VII.

For those of you not in the know, Seven Samurai tells the tale of farmers who enlist warriors to help them defend their harvest. Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress was also a big influence on Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.

Snyder, who is directing this summer’s Superman reboot, Man of Steel, told the Los Angeles Times last fall that he had no interest in directing Star Wars 7.

“I don’t think I’d be interested in [directing it],” he told the paper. “I’m a huge Star Wars fanatic. I just think doing [episodes] seven, eight and nine is just a slippery slope. It’s a whole other mythological experiment I’m excited to see, but it’s a lot of effort.”

When it comes to features, Snyder has a shaky track record. While he successfully adapted Frank Miller’s 300, his take on Alan Moore’s Watchmen and 2011′s Sucker Punch didn’t exactly set the box office on fire.

When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in October of last year, CEO Bob Iger said the company plans to release a new Star Wars film every “two to three years.”

More recently, ABC revealed that they are looking at potentially making a live-action Star Wars television show.

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‘Star Wars’ live-action series headed to TV?

- January 10th, 2013

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We know that ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ will be heading to a theatre near you come 2015, but speculation is mounting that a long-in-the-works television series could be on its way to the small screen.

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm last October, they got extensive treatments for future films and were optimistic the franchise could be extended on television. “We really like Star Wars potential on TV,” Disney CEO Robert Iger said at the time in a statement.

Well, with the deal to acquire Lucasfilm finalized last month, ABC (which is owned by Disney) is considering bringing a Star Wars live-action TV series to the small screen.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, ABC entertainment president Paul Lee says a series based in the Star Wars universe is something “we’re going to look at.”

The EW story reveals that 50 scripts are already in the can, with such writers as Battlestar Galactica’s Ron Moore contributing. Set on Coruscant between the events of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, producer Rick McCallum called the show “Empire on steroids” during an interview last year.

Despite the sci-fi genre being more popular than ever, high-production costs (rumoured to be as high as $5-million an episode) and Lucasfilm wanting to retain ownership scuttled any live-action plans.

Now that Lucasfilm and ABC are under the Disney umbrella, Lee says a weekly show is a possibility.

“We’d love to do something with Lucasfilm, we’re not sure what yet,” Lee tells EW. “We haven’t even sat down with them. We’re going to look at [the live-action series], we’re going to look at all of them, and see what’s right. We weren’t able to discuss this with them until [the acquisition] closed and it just closed. It’s definitely going to be part of the conversation.”

But with a new film written by Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) hitting theatres in 2015, Lee says a television show is not a done deal. “It’s going to be very much up to the Lucasfilm brands how they want to play it.”

Would a Star Wars television show hold your interest, or are you strictly about the movies? Let us know what you think of a live-action series in the comments.

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Writers set for ‘Star Wars’ VIII and IX

- November 21st, 2012

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Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg have signed deals to write the eight and ninth instalments of the upcoming Star Wars trilogy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

As already reported, Episode VII is being written by Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt. When Lucasfilm sold the Star Wars property to Disney last month, creator George Lucas provided detailed story outlines for subsequent films and spin-offs.

Kasdan is no stranger to the Star Wars franchise. He co-wrote Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in the 1980s. He also wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark. He’s been a bit quiet over the past decade directing only two films in the 2000s – Dreamcatcher and last year’s Darling Companion.

Kinberg has been involved in the recent spate of X-Men films, writing X-Men 3: The Last Stand and the upcoming Days of Future Past.

Directors for the upcoming films, the first of which is due in 2013, have not yet been announced.

Are you happy with the writers that have been chosen to pen the new series? Let us know in the comments.

Twitter: @markhdaniell

 

 

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