Star Wars Universe Thread: May The 4th Be With You

[sirdilbert2k10]

I'd be happy with Abrams over the available options but this...


Moretz would be great in a Star Wars movie. 

I'd like that also, maybe she could still be in it.

 

[big j 33]

If there's a young female lead, she'll probably be a candidate. She can certainly handle the action if that's needed and she's shown a lot of promise as a dramatic actress too.

 

[pacmagic2002]

The hell will the storyline be though?

 

[mronegative]

JJ Abrams is definitely an upgrade over Zach Snyder.

Haven't been too hyped over anything he's done since maybe Star Trek (didn't like Super 8 or Alcatraz), but that's a good look.

 

[sir charles]

The hell will the storyline be though?

This is the part a lot of people don't get -.-

There was originally 9 books. And Lucas films only made 6/9

Disney will be picking up where it was left off, and after seeing what they did with all the marvel movies my body is ready for this.

 

[CP1708]

The hell will the storyline be though?

This is the part a lot of people don't get -.-

There was originally 9 books. And Lucas films only made 6/9

Disney will be picking up where it was left off, and after seeing what they did with all the marvel movies my body is ready for this.

Um, that's not entirely accurate. They "could" continue on with the story, but there is nothing more than notes for other movies. Jar Jar Binks was NOT written in the 70's.

A script is being written, surely with input from George but in no way will this be an adaption of anything, it'll be collab effort from various people.

 

[jaypesoz]

yeah, I'm sure George had a draft and outline, but I'm pretty sure not even the prequel is what he envisioned back then, so I have no doubt the new trilogy will be treated the same as far as revisions go.

 

[mronegative]

Damn. Why I pictured George having some kinda idea draft?

With my first pick...you know, the kids would love some more toys, lemme take Jar Jar.

 

[minotauro nogueira]

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[buggz05]

There is like 75 full novels they can go off of. I could write 20 films off the top of my stupid head there is so much material to choose from. There are comics they can go off of, there are the clone wars cartoons you could base off of.

They could jump ahead years after Jedi, they could jump back hundreds of years and start pre Vader era. They can do ANYTHING. Long as it has Sith, Jedi, lightsabers, and **** like that, they can just have my money.


I NEVER thought Lucas would sell. This is unbelievable. I'm so freaking geeked right now.

Thrawn, Mara Jade, Yuuzhan Vong, planet of the Sith, Talon Karde, Palleon, Jacen, Jaina, Anakin (not that one) the characters are ENDLESS.

This is an amazing day.

Co-sign.

 

[Kimchi Papi]

The post I read on the site that broke the news (The Wrap) said that Ben Affleck was in contention to direct the next installment of Star Wars. I've really liked each of the films he's directed (Gone Baby Gone, The Town, & Argo), but a big budget Sci-Fi or rather the big budget sci-fi? I have trouble envisioning it.

Edit - saw this JJ Abrams inspired Star Wars logo & thought it was amusing...

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[duba169]

Ben would have wookies with Boston accents and ****. Pass.

Waits for cp to yell at me

 

[sreggie101]

Ben would have wookies with Boston accents and ****. Pass.

Waits for cp to yell at me

LOL this to the max.

 

[CP1708]

Ben would have wookies with Boston accents and ****. Pass.

Waits for cp to yell at me

Naw I'm good with what you said. Love Ben, but I need to see him do something other work, outside of Boston, before I would co-sign him jumpin in on Star Wars. And frankly, I've never heard him say a single word about Star Wars, so that alone keeps me from backin him.

I demand Star Wars fans only work on these projects.

 

[mronegative]

Like that flick in Tehran, MA.

 

[big j 33]

I agree with CP... Ben needs to do something outside of Boston, preferably in a desert climate that might resemble a foreign planet. Then, I'd be on board.

 

[duba169]

That's one movie. And now he's doing Boston again.

Published last fall, Live By Night is the Prohibition-era-Boston tale of a Boston police captain’s son who turns Boston outlaw, tangling with both Boston’s mobsters and his own Boston father’s Boston police force. It’s a taut, Boston-y thriller, chock-full of Boston on nearly every page, and one that should allow Affleck to explore how the Boston of yore relates to the modern, universal Boston we all live in. Unfortunately, Affleck says his commitment to getting Live By Night done by a certain deadline forced him to drop out of starring in the upcoming Focus. Of course, that film is set to shoot in Buenos Aires, a city crippled by the poverty of its not being Boston, and co-star Kristen Stewart, who also couldn’t be Boston if she tried. [via Coming Soon]



I want a uber nerd fan doing star wars. JJ is a good fit. That's the main point.

 

[Kimchi Papi]

From Indiewire.com -


http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...ct-from-a-j-j-abrams-star-wars-movie-20130125

5 Things We Could Expect From J.J. Abrams' 'Star Wars: Episode 7

With the news arriving yesterday that "Lost" co-creator and "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams will take over from George Lucas and direct "Star Wars: Episode VII," the first in a planned platoon of new "Star Wars" features from Disney, it inevitably means speculation about what, exactly, such a decision will mean for the franchise.

This is, after all, a series that has been almost exclusively under the control of a single man since the original debuted back in 1977 (the two sequels from the original trilogy were directed by journeyman filmmakers under the tight authorial control of Lucas, who exerted his influence more extensively with his constant fussing on the "special editions"). So it seemed like a good moment to start to guess what a J.J. Abrams "Star Wars" joint will really look (and feel and sound) like, based on his earlier work and a general sensation of where the franchise is headed – back to a long time ago and a galaxy far, far away....By the way, in case you missed it here's five directions we suggested the series could go back when it was announced in October of last year.

Lots of lens flares and whip pans? Maybe not so fast.
It birthed a million Twitter jokes, and it is true that Abrams has a trademark visual style, but will he bring the same tools from "Star Trek" to "Star Wars"? The original films had a certain "look," it's one that isn't exactly easy to pin down – a combination of psychedelic '70s album art, pulp magazine covers, and various sci-fi conventions. (The shiny robot! The floating barge lair! A city in the clouds!) By the time the prequels rolled around, Lucas had firmly planted himself in the director's chair and any sense of visual distinction had been blasted into the deep recesses of space. Instead, Lucas relied on extensive green screen work with an emphasis on computer-generated environments, characters and creatures. While seemingly cutting edge, it made the actual human actors seem like they were walking through some elaborate videogame. Nothing felt real or emotionally identifiable – the heart got lost in the pixels. Abrams has a style he honed on both his television series (most notably "Alias," still his crowning small screen achievement) and in the three high-profile features he directed ("Mission: Impossible III," "Super 8" and "Star Trek"), and while it feels like a safe assumption that we'll see some whip pans and lens flares, we're not so sure. One of the biggest concerns among certain segments is having the same guy behind "Star Trek" taking over "Star Wars." We're sure Abrams will want to put a new visual stamp on this franchise not only to assuage fans, but to honor where the series has been while also taking it in a new direction in addition to ensuring it stands apart from Captain Kirk and the gang.

Actual environments!
Along similar lines, one of the better aspects of Abrams' "Star Trek" is that no matter how much computer-generated embroidery was on display, a large majority of the movie was created practically. The movie utilized expansive sets that took up whole soundstages along with actual location photography, like the Budweiser bottling plant that doubled as the spaceship's engine room. He even filmed the skydiving sequence by getting Chris Pine to roll around on a mirror in the Paramount parking lot. Sure, there was a ******** of CGI, but most of that work was done for stuff that Abrams and his talented creative crew couldn't physically build, like the giant snow monster that chases Kirk down an icy hill. "Mission: Impossible III" and "Super 8" too, for all their widescreen spectacle, aren't completely bogged down by ones-and-zeroes, either. We can see Abrams returning to actual location work, ditching much of the smothering green-screen aesthetic, and insisting on props and creatures that were actually built and controlled on set. You know, like how Yoda used to be an on-set puppet before he was turned into a pin-balling tree frog with a lightsaber.

Michael Giacchino does John Williams.
Again. It's getting on eight years since John Williams, the composer of all six "Star Wars" movies to date, wrote a score for anyone but Steven Spielberg (2005's "Memoirs Of A Geisha"). Williams will be close to 85 years old when this new film is being finalized and there's a high probability he'll actually be really-for-real retired by that point. But it's possible that Abrams may not even go back to that well at all. Michael Giacchino, Abrams' longtime composer, will certainly do a bang-up job if he's called for the gig. The musical groundwork has already be laid, as the films will undoubtedly utilize the famous themes that are hummed the world over. What Giacchino will do is fill in the gaps, creating music that harkens back to the beloved original score while striking new, thematically appropriate ground. For Abrams' "Super 8," Giacchino created a dew-dipped score that lovingly recalled Williams' most adored work, and Giacchino already has a longstanding history with Disney having worked extensively with Pixar and scored a number of the parent company's films, like last year's decidedly "Star Wars"-y "John Carter." He's already the "Star Wars" musical heir apparent anyway; last year he created new music based on Williams' original compositions for the recently revised Star Tours attraction at Disneyland in California and Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida.

A lovable rogue or kick-*** female character will take center stage.
One of the things that was sorely missing from the new films was a character that exemplified the devil-may-care spirit embodied by lovable rascal Han Solo (Harrison Ford, who starred in one of Abrams' first-produced screenplays, "Regarding Henry") in the original trilogy. While it's unknown whether or not Solo (or, by extension, Ford) will be returning to the franchise, since Michael Arndt's script remains a mystery box few have opened, it was pretty clear to anyone who isn't George Lucas that this was a huge issue with the prequels, and something that Abrams will be quick to address. This is the kind of character, after all, that Abrams is obviously fascinated by, the most notable example being the conman Sawyer (Josh Holloway) in "Lost." That said, rumors have suggested that Arndt's script has a female lead (Matthew Vaughn was said to be pitching the idea of Chloe Moretz when he was in the running), and thanks to his TV stable of "Felicity," "Alias," "Fringe" and "Lost," among others, Abrams has form in that regard. Some kind of combination of the two seems likely, but don't expect a bland Luke Skywalker type to be the main character.

Lots of monsters.
Monsters are a hallmark of Abrams' oeuvre – everything from the Abrams-conceived "Cloverfield" to "Star Trek" to "Super 8" to "Lost" have had some manner of thing that goes bump in the night. "Star Wars," obviously, will be no different. We are positively giddy at the idea of Abrams populating a Mos Eisley Cantina-type bar with his decidedly whacked-out take on intergalactic creatures. We would be very surprised if his go-to creature designer Neville Page wasn't one of the first people Abrams called after he got the job. As the prequels wore on, their aliens, robots and creatures became blander and more anonymous, failing to stand out from their equally phony backgrounds. If there's one person to make the "Star Wars" monster mash really shimmy, it's Abrams, who will insist on imaginative design work and an emphasis on practical, on-set critters, though we hope that he stays mostly away from the "Cloverfield"/"Super 8" template for the beasties.
Thoughts? What do you think Abrams can bring to the table that will help redefine "Star Wars"? Will he play safely within the parameters of the franchise or will he making some bold changes? Just how much creative leeway will he get and will Lucas really and truly keep his nose out of it? Lots of questions, but we'll find out in about two years. "Star Wars: Episode VII" is scheduled to hit theaters in 2015.

 

[CP1708]

I agree with CP... Ben needs to do something outside of Boston, preferably in a desert climate that might resemble a foreign planet. Then, I'd be on board.

I know about Argo, I meant MORE than just that. I love all 3 of his films, need more than just 1 outside of Boston.

To add to that, not just anything outside Boston, how bout anything outside today? He needs a futuristic joint, a Sci-Fi to be handed over the reigns to THEE sci0fi franchise, don't you think?

If Ben had done Minority Report, I'd sign up for Ben right now, today. Even the Total Recall remake. Something to show he has the vision needed for that genre.

And I'm a Ben guy. Other than stealing who would have been my future wife, (sorry current wife I have) I like him.

 

[mronegative]

He only has 3 movies, though.

Either way, I don't think he'd do anything scifi. You could tell dude really wants in with the prestige crowd.

 

[beh235]

If Abrams does Star Wars, there will be a hardcore geek Civil war . His Star Trek wasn't bad though, I enjoyed it.

 

[big j 33]

I wasn't even arguing for Affleck, I have no desire to see him near Star Wars at all. Not leaving Boston and starring in them are my biggest criticism of his movies. Argo was a step in the right direction but now he's going back to Boston. 

 

[Kimchi Papi]

I guess with the announcement, all the opinions on what needs to be done are starting to pour out.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...ar-wars-episode-vii-to-make-it-great-20130125

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

10 Things J.J. Abrams Needs To Do With 'Star Wars: Episode VII' To Make It Great


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So the question that's been dominating the movie world for the past few months has finally been answered. After lots of rumors and speculation, with Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, Jon Favreau, Guillermo Del Toro, Matthew Vaughn and Colin Trevorrow among the many names linked to the project, firm news has emerged that J.J. Abrams, creator of TV shows "Felicity," "Lost," "Alias" and "Fringe," among others, and director of blockbusters "Mission Impossible III," "Star Trek," "Super 8" and the upcoming "Star Trek Into Darkness," has been hired to direct "Star Wars Episode VII," the continuation of George Lucas' classic sci-fi saga.

It's the biggest news since, well, it was announced that Disney had bought Lucasfilm and were planning new films in the franchise, and yet fan reaction has been decidedly mixed. You would assume that the news that the man behind some of the most popular pop culture phenomena of the 21st century is making a new "Star Wars" film written by the guy who did "Toy Story 3" would be greeted by geeks dancing in the streets like they just blew up the second Death Star. And while some are indeed rejoicing, others are concerned that Abrams has already rebooted "Star Trek," and they simply want a different sensibility behind the camera.

Anyway, we think he's as good a pick for the job as any, and we've already run down five of the qualities we think he'll bring to the new movie (for better or worse). But with more expectations than any film in the works over the next few years, there's still all kinds of pitfalls. So as Abrams, screenwriter Michael Arndt and producer Kathleen Kennedy get to work, we've suggested ten things that they need to bear in mind when making "Episode VII," in order to make it live up to the dreams of "Star Wars" fanatics and agnostics alike. Let us know what you'd like to see from Abrams' "Star Wars" in the comments section below.

1. Tell self-contained stories
In a recent Q&A, Joss Whedon discussed how the original "Star Wars" remains his favorite of the series, in spite of "The Empire Strikes Back" being a better film, because it's a contained story, while "The Empire Strikes Back" is ultimately an "episode" thanks to its cliffhanger ending. Regardless of your feelings on either, multi-part storytelling is becoming an increasingly prevalent, and toxic, trend in franchise movies (see "The Hobbit," the "Twilight" movies and all the franchises splitting their final installment into two). It's possible to have a movie trilogy and still tell distinct and satisfying stories (Christopher Nolan and Marvel -- with the exception of "Iron Man 2" -- have mostly managed it), and despite his TV pedigree, Abrams has done that as well, at least so far. "Star Trek" didn't feel like a pilot for a new TV series, which was always the risk, and his "Mission: Impossible III" was self-contained too. We don't mind if the new trilogy adds up to one big macro-plot, as previous "Star Wars" films did, but Abrams and screenwriter Michael Arndt should make sure there's enough story to split between them, and ideally try to give each film its own individual beginning, middle and end, rather than making them parts of a whole.

2. Remember it's for kids, not just for existing fans
In George Lucas' defense, he always insisted while making the prequels that he was making movies for the young demographic that made "Star Wars" such a phenomenon in the 1970s. The problem was, the proof wasn't in the pudding, and plots about trade embargoes and Senate votes demonstrated how far Lucas had lost his touch. And in the post "The Dark Knight" world, the risk of a joylessly gritty franchise movie is greater than ever. "The Empire Strikes Back" isn't terrific because it's the darkest of the series, it's terrific because it has the best script of the series. And Abrams would do well to remember that as much as the aging fanbase of the original films will be flocking to cinemas, it's also a chance to make a new generation of kids fall in love with the property in the way that many of us did when we were still in short trousers. Let's not forget that the original films were essentially fairy tales, one of the things that lent them the mythic appeal that's made it so indelible. We're not saying dumb it down, but try and recapture that intangible magic that made the first trio of films so memorable (a tall order indeed).

3. Ignore his inner fanboy
Abrams said, when initially asked if he'd be interested in directing the sequel: "Look, 'Star Wars' is one of my favorite movies of all time. I frankly feel that – I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big 'Star Trek' fan growing up, so for me, working on 'Star Trek' didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege."
And that's the risk here, that Abrams, having taken on his favorite series, becomes a slave both to his own inner fanboy, and to the hundreds of thousands of voices of other fans. Abrams needs to not treat the material like it's sacred, and approach it like he did 'Trek,' or "Mission: Impossible," or any other property. This isn't to say that his fandom can't be a force for good -- Joss Whedon demonstrated last year that having someone who knows the characters backwards can benefit a big adaptation. But the flipside of that coin is Andrew Stanton and "John Carter," who couldn't see the forest for the trees thanks to his blind love of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character. Fan service -- endless cameos or nods to the original trilogy -- might make a few happy, but it can also prove to be indulgent, and alienating for newcomers. Abrams has a big train set to play with, and should approach the new film as if it was the first ever "Star Wars" film, not the seventh.

4. Make sure it's funny
One of the things that made "Star Trek" and the Abrams-produced "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" among the most enjoyable blockbusters of the last decade or so is the way that they were consistently funny, without losing the stakes. This sense of fun is something that's sometimes lacking from blockbusters these days, as we've discussed before, and that was certainly true for the "Star Wars" prequels. While it's a few years since we saw them, we're struggling to remember any genuinely funny moments from the films (Ewan McGregor's these-are-not-the-droids-you're-looking-for probably comes closest), and the tone was generally a portentous one, without the 1930s-serial feel that made the original trilogy so much fun. In part, this was due to the absence of a Han Solo-type rogue, who could roll his eyes and make fun of the characters. Abrams doesn't need to replicate that sort of character (though as we discussed, they may make an appearance anyway), but keeping a lightness of tone to the thing seems pretty essential to us. He managed it with "Star Trek" and "Super 8," so there's no reason to think he couldn't do it here.

5. Embrace the diversity of the universe
Say what you like about the quality of the films, but the great advantage of "Star Wars" is that it has an almost endless sandbox in which to play around in. Lucas set up an impressive diversity of planets to visit (even in the prequels, there's some solid world-building going on), and while the tempatation to return to Tatooine, we'd like to see Abrams go to new places. Check in on old locations if you can find a new spin on them, but we don't want a "Hobbit" scenario, whereby the characters seem to be wandering around the same woods and mountains we've already seen. Arndt's script could go anywhere, so let's go somewhere new. And let's go with different kinds of people too. The prequels suffered because we had too many of the same kind of characters we'd already seen (noble Jedi master, upstart orphan, princess), but the various spin-off books and games have demonstrated that other kinds of characters can carry these stories. So let's mix up the protagonists a bit. Indeed, while the shadow of Jar-Jar Binks might hang a little heavy, motion-capture advances means that these leading characters don't even have to be human...

6. Be weird
For all his success, Abrams is not a blindingly original creator of material. His strength comes in giving new twists -- sometimes fairly out there ones -- to established genres. "Alias" was a spy thriller with sci-fi tinges. "Lost" was "Gilligan's Island" by way of "Twin Peaks," with conspiracy, mystery and an ancient battle of good vs. evil thrown in. "Fringe" was "The X-Files," but with the weirdness turned up to eleven (and a more satisfying macro-plot and emotional backbone than Mulder & Scully ever had). "Star Trek" took the classic series and added a time-travel twist. Indeed, Abrams' greatest failures ("Undercovers," "Six Degrees," "Morning Glory") have tended to come when he leans towards the conventional. And let's not forget that, while we've been inured to it over 35 years, "Star Wars" must have seemed pretty weird to begin with. Space knights fighting with laser swords and telepathic powers? A weird frog-goblin thing that speaks in messed-up syntax? A camp robot butler? The temptation would be to play it safe, but the film will be far more interesting if Abrams lets his freak flag fly to a certain degree, and throw a few surprises into the mix. Speaking of...

7. Keep a sense of mystery
Abrams has always played things close to his chest, valuing his famous "mystery box", which has allowed projects to brew quietly, leading to surprise annoucement teasers for "Cloverfield" and "Super 8" (and the same secrecy is being with "Star Trek Into Darkness" with details kept firmy under wraps). Abrams even gave some insight into why this is recently, saying :"I will sit in a meeting before a movie with 80-some people, heads of departments, and literally say that all I ask is that we preserve the experience for the viewer. Every choice we make, every costume fitting, every pad of makeup, every set that’s built — all that stuff becomes less magical if it’s discussed and revealed and pictures are posted online. I just want to make sure that when somebody sees something in a movie they didn’t watch a 60-minute behind-the-scene that came out two months before. We just say up front that all the work we’re doing is about making this a special experience for the viewer; let’s preserve that as long as we can."
It's a refreshing approach, albeit frustrating for the I-want-it-now internet generation, and we'd love for Abrams to keep it up with his "Star Wars." Let's face it, it's going to have queues around the block whatever happens, so why not tread softly with the images, clips and spoilers. It'll only lead to more feverish speculation, but it should also mean that, unlike with the prequels, we won't know everything about the films going in. Hopefully, if this approach is taken, it'll also get rid of the midichlorians-aided demystification that came with the prequels. Of course that will mean he'll have to...

8. Don't cast veterans from the Bad Robot stable
Thanks to "Star Trek" (with the cast of rising stars and familiar names, carrying the movie even when the script failed it; they're about 60% of the reason that the film works), Abrams has form on this front, and the studio are likely to let him go with whoever he wants -- they're not going to want to put Tom Cruise or Johnny Depp in it anyway, they're spending enough money as it is. But just as Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford were essentially unknowns back in the day, the key new roles should be taken by people with few existing associations, and that goes for actors that the director has worked with before. He can get away with casting Abrams-verse veterans like Keri Russell or Josh Holloway in small roles in a "Mission: Impossible" movie, but their presence here, for the most part, would only prove distracting. Want to give Greg Grunberg a cameo as the voice of a stormtrooper? We suppose that's just about ok. But much as we love him, seeing Simon Pegg as a wisecracking pilot is going to break the spell, when we should be getting absorbed back into the universe. There may be some exceptions to this here and there -- we can see "Fringe" actor John Noble working in a role, perhaps, partly because he's a chameleon, and partly because no one watched "Fringe," so he doesn't have the same cultural association as, say, Bradley Cooper or Hurley from "Lost." But for the most part, Abrams should seek out some new talent when the time to cast up arrives.

9. Stand up to Disney
One of the best things about the hiring of Abrams is that he's already a golden boy, one of a handful of filmmakers around who can do pretty much anything he wants. The risk was always that the studio would hire a workman, who could be pushed around to make the blandest and most profitable film possible. Abrams has an enormous amount of cache in and of himself, and that'll hopefully buy him a lot of creative leeway. He's already flexed his muscles on this front, with "Star Trek Into Darkness," forcing Paramount to push the film back a year so he could get the script right. It was a disaster for the studio in the short-term. They were left without a summer blockbuster, and went months without releasing a film (thanks to pushing back both "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and "World War Z" as well), but fingers crossed, it benefited the film, and in turn will likely help Paramount out in the long-run. Now that he's at Disney, we hope he keeps it up. Whehter it's Arndt's script, casting, story, marketing, whatever -- they wanted Abrams, and so now, he should get to do it his way. As for George Lucas, who's indicated he wants to take a back seat on the film, but may yet change his mind, Abrams should of course listen respectfully to the franchise's creator, but not be afraid to ignore him if Lucas' storytelling instincts haven't improved since the last three films in the series.

10. Shoot it in IMAX
That said, there's one thing that Abrams probably won't fight the studio on, and that's making the film in 3D. Given the studio's love of the format (they've had giant billion-dollar hits in three dimensions with "Alice in Wonderland," "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," "The Avengers" and "Toy Story 3"), and the general economic benefits (plus the in-process conversions of the previous films), Disney are going to want the film to be released in 3D. And Abrams is likely to acquiesce, given that he's already done so on "Star Trek Into Darkness," and has been won round, saying recently: "The studio said, 'You have to make it in 3D if you're going to make it, for economic reasons. But my feeling was I didn't like 3D. I approached it very cynically. And the fact is that we've been using techniques that haven't been used before in 3D. They've figured out things. They've made enough movies now with this new process that they can understand ways to eliminate some of these problems. Things like breaking shots into zones, 3D zones, using multiple virtual cameras. A lot of this has made me a believer, whereas before I was really against it…"
But what he could do, at least, is throw us a bone and add a format that we're genuinely excited about. After "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," which Abrams produced, shot multiple sequences in IMAX to spectacular effect, Abrams has done the same with "Star Trek Into Darkness," so it's surely not too much to hope for that we get some of his "Star Wars" in giant mega-screen vision too? Christopher Nolan and 'Ghost Protocol' have shown both the format's potential for both spectacle and increased box office revenue, and we'd be lying if the idea of IMAX-ed "Star Wars" didn't make us a little giddy. Make it happen, guys.

P.S. The original "Star Wars" was only a touch over two hours, so let's try to keep it closer to that than the 150-minute mark.

 

[david bowman]

Damn I really hate 3D movies. Didn't even think about that.

 

[sir charles]

J.J. Abrams broke the Internet in half on Thursday (January 24) with the announcement that he's directing "Star Wars: Episode VII" for Walt Disney and Lucasfilm. The filmmaker already has two "Star Trek" films under his belt, and now he'll boldly go where no man has ever gone before: directing films set in both the "Trek" and "Wars" universes.

Whether or not you support the hiring of Abrams is irrelevant to our purposes right now. With the director in place, it's now time to start thinking about what Abrams' "Star Wars" will look like. Based on his history as a filmmaker and a television pioneer, here are five things we can expect to see in Abrams' first voyage to that galaxy far, far away:

Expect an incredible female lead. What do Keri Russell, Jennifer Garner and Evangeline Lilly all have in common? Each one of these strong, alluring actresses got their big breaks from Mr. Abrams. Among his many talents, Abrams has a keen eye for discovering rising stars, especially when it comes to his leading women. Whoever lands the heroine role in "Star Wars: Episode VII" is going to be someone to watch for years and years to come.

'Star Wars' And J.J. Abrams: Five Burning Questions

Expect the score to get "Lost." Before you roast us, just know that nothing would make us happier than to see John Williams' return ... nothing, short of Michael Giacchino landing the job instead. The Oscar-winning "Up" composer is also a friend and frequent collaborator of Abrams', with mutual credits including "Star Trek," "Super 8" and "Lost." Giacchino is easily one of the most talented composers working today, and his reunion with Abrams on a "Star Wars" film is only as inevitable as it is welcome.

Expect [insert obligatory lens flare joke here]. The man loves his lens flares, and you're going to see them pop up in the new "Star Wars" movie. Love the technique or hate it, it's time to make your peace with it — lens flares in "Star Wars" is a thing that's going to happen.

Expect Greg Grunberg. The "Heroes" actor is a lifelong friend of Abrams, and has appeared in every single one of the filmmaker's projects, in a cameo capacity at the very least. The same will be true for the next "Star Wars" movie: there is a part for Grunberg, minor or major, no two ways about it.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700783/jj-abrams-star-wars-episode-vii-look.jhtml

Posted this in the other thread