Yesterday I posted a few of my initial thoughts on the announcement of
Star Wars Episode VII, as well as some of my reasoning for being
cautiously optimistic. In particular I made note that, if the right
talent can be gathered, we might get something special.
What do I mean by “the right talent”, though?
Obviously
the choice of writer and director will be utterly essential. Below are
some of my top picks for directors, and the probability of them even
being in the running. Most of these are dark horses, but I think they’re
the kind of visionaries that Star Wars needs to move forward beyond the
shadow of Lucas.
Joss Whedon
Most Popular Films: The Avengers
Most Relevant Films: The Avengers, Serenity
Odds of Involvement: 0% (too busy making Avengers 2, Episode VII), 50% (for Episode VIII and/or IX)
Danny Boyle
Most Popular Films: Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire
Most Relevant Films: Sunshine
Odds of Involvement: Maybe 5%
Guillermo del Toro
Most Popular Films: Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth
Most Relevant Films: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Pacific Rim (probably)
Odds of Involvement: 15%
Gore Verbinski
Most Popular Films: Pirates of the Caribbean, Rango
Most Relevant Films: Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy
Odds of Involvement: 35%
Ryuhei Kitamura
Most Popular Films: Godzilla Final Wars, Versus
Most Relevant Films: Godzilla Final Wars, Midnight Meat Train
Odds of Involvement: 1% (if even that much)
Alex Proyas
Most Popular Films: The Crow, Dark City
Most Relevant Films: Dark City, I Robot
Odds of Involvement: 10%
Steven Spielberg
Most Popular Films: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park
Most Relevant Films: Indiana Jones franchise, Minority Report
Odds of Involvement: 30%
Peter Jackson
Most Popular Films: Lord of the Rings trilogy
Most Relevant Films: Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy
Odds of Involvement: 0% (Episode VII), 20% (Episode VIII and IX)
Let’s
not forget that different directors all tackled Episodes IV, V, and VI.
Lucas only technically directed IV. Sure, his fingerprints are
everywhere, but this means that any combination of people might be
involved in the upcoming trilogy. Will we see a single director helm all
three, as was the case with Episodes I-III? Or will this series follow
the footsteps of other franchises like Harry Potter. Could we see slight
variations in the artistic stamps of each film? Might we wind up with
work that we can spend hours debating over, deciding the merits and
faults of each film in the trilogy?
Imagine what might happen if a
completely unexpected director, Oscar winners probably still grew up
with wide eyes as they watched A New Hope, took the helm. I imagine that
Disney will want a younger voice though, someone with fresh ideas. Even
so, how amazing would it be if Martin Scorsese or James Cameron decided
to go outside of their on wheelhouse to work on these films?
I
would say the choice of director is the single most crucial piece to the
puzzle. It will instantly announce Disney’s intentions to us, just like
when Joss Whedon was hired to direct the Avengers. If they can pick
someone that inspires a similar wave of fan enthusiasm for Star Wars,
then it will show us that they intend to give us another iconic trilogy.
Well
that’s all for today. But expect the final part of my Star Wars Episode
VII reactions soon! In the meantime, why don’t you go to my Facebook
page and click “Like”? You’ll get lots of information and updates on my
current projects!
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Official Author Page - http://www.facebook.com/julliangmortimer
Despite the obvious insanity behind the idea of Star Wars VII, VIII, and IX (and even as a big fan of the series I still have to say it's madness) ... I can't help but think how awesome it *could* be should Lucas manage to get the original triumvirate together on this: himself, Spielberg, and Coppola. (I'd say "Martin Scorsese, too" but then I think I'd be opening up some question as to my logical reasoning abilities :)
ReplyDeleteFound your blog through Facebook; I love what I've seen so far. Happy Writing!