Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (USE SPOILER TAGS!)

[octagon]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

Have you read some of the posts on here? Some people have come out with great lines like "I love the original SW but hate Lucas being involved in these new ones". People claim to be fans of the series but hate everything that Lucas has done - my comment was about this.

But I stand by the statement that Disney and Lucas meeting can create something spectacular.

And that's a 'great line' because...

American Graffiti and Star Wars were filmed over thirty years ago.

Is it really that hard to believe the guy who wrote and directed them might have changed in that time?

People talk about artists losing their edge, getting in ruts, selling out and so forth and so on all the time. Similarly, people routinely express preferences - often strong preferences - for a given artist's early period or later period or mid period or what-have-you period.

Does Lucas get a pass from all that?

[dncpunke]

Plenty of people drank Jim Jones purple kool aid. Doesnt make it right. Beat for beat remake? No.

[Ernest Rister]

If they don't use a hands-off approach, and get more involved in the process, we risk having a completely watered down, very child-friendly concept shining through.

If anything, I think the series - without Lucas at the helm - would be skew more teen and adult, as opposed to what Lucas did with Return of the Jedi and Phantom Menace. Kinda hard to water down and kiddify a series that already watered itself down and kiddified itself back in 1983.

[jkh206]

Original Trilogy unedited (as shown in theaters) on Blu FTW. Disney must do this PRONTO!

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by srinivas1015

The similarities to A New Hope are uncanny.
These are just a few off the top of my head:

1)Kirk playing with a toy Enterprise aspiring for something greater / Luke playing with a toy Imperial Shuttle aspiring for something greater.

Okay, I can give you this one. A tip of the hat for sure.

2)Kirk looking at the USCSS Enterprise before enlisting / Luke looking at the binary sunset.

Characters can't dream of better futures now that Luke's scene was put to film? Come on, seriously? Dozens of characters in dozens of movies have had the "far off look/wanting a better life" moment.

3)Luke's ship is about to be shot by Vader, the Millennium Falcon arrives just in time to save him / Spock is about to be shot by Nemo, the Enterprise arrives just in time to save him.

The calvary arriving to save the day is practically a movie cliche. Sorry, but you're reaching.

4)Medal scene at the end

Really? Luke was given command of a sanctioned starship after relieving an admiral in front of the academy he trained with? Man, I must not have been paying attention!

A couple of nods to another film do not a remake...uh...make.

[Aragorn the Elfstone]

JJ's Star Trek just trades in some of the same motifs as Star Wars. They're fairly classic elements, so it's no surprise that they share minor similar attributes. But to call it a scene by scene remake is preposterous.

This reminds me of when Fellowship of the Ring came out and we had uninformed Star Wars fans claiming that it was ripoff of Star Wars - nevermind that the book was published in the '50s.

[Tok]

Originally Posted by Aragorn84

According to an update at AICN, Twentieth Century Fox will retain ownership and distribution of the six existing Star Wars films.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/59381

My understanding is Fox owns distribution rights on Ep I-III, V, VI until 2020. The original film IV, Fox owns distribution rights outright. So if Disney wants that they are going to have to try and work a deal with Fox eventually. So those wanting an unaltered OT, don't hold your breath. It's not happening anytime soon.

As far as the characters, I believe Disney/Lucasfilm owns those outright. So I don't believe Fox could try to do what Warner and also Sony attempted years ago with James Bond which was try to start a competing film series against the original MGM series. This happened because the film rights for Thunderball were poorly handled and eventually both Warner and Sony attempted to launch their own series. Warner's 'Never Say Never Again' is the result of their attempt. Sony never got their version beyond planning and it got tied up in the courts.

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by octagon

And that's a 'great line' because...

American Graffiti and Star Wars were filmed over thirty years ago.

Is it really that hard to believe the guy who wrote and directed them might have changed in that time?

People talk about artists losing their edge, getting in ruts, selling out and so forth and so on all the time. Similarly, people routinely express preferences - often strong preferences - for a given artist's early period or later period or mid period or what-have-you period.

Does Lucas get a pass from all that?

Because it's a complete hypocrisy - you can't, on one hand, hate the man who made the Star Wars universe and then, on the other, love what he created. Lucas and Star Wars go hand-in-hand because he created them, so you can't have one without the other -- why do you think that he's continued to ride on the success of that series alone for the past thirty years? Because whenever people hear the name "George Lucas" they automatically think of SW. I don't blame the man for not doing anything after that; he worked hard to get funding to bring his vision to the screen and then it ended up taking off in a huge way. I'd ride the success for as long as possible too.

Let's face it, he's going to be a part of the new films anyway, so people who hate him just have to get over that. It's his story, his idea, and he can decide where he wants to go with it...whether that's a good or bad thing these days remains to be seen.

[stvn1974]

If this news means we get the unaltered original trilogy on BD = yay
If not = meh.

I don't care about new Star Wars movies, comic books, coloring books, novels or dental floss.

[Aragorn the Elfstone]

Lucas, the man who created Star Wars in 1977, just became too powerful. He came to a point where no one was willing to say "George, that's going too far", or "That's not a good idea, George."

I've continued to have respect for the man throughout the years, regardless of some mistakes made in the prequels or the Special Editions - because deep down he is still that same guy. But there comes a point when you get to close to your own work, and it suffers as a result. That time came for Lucas many years ago, and nobody was there to rein him in.

I don't want him to not be involved in some creative capacity, which is why I'm glad he's staying on as a consultant. But it is time to hand the reins to other people - and Kathleen Kennedy is an excellent person to do that. Bring in some fresh blood to direct and write the screenplays, with George still having input in the story direction. This is just the right thing to happen. The more I've thought about this over the past day, the more excited I am.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

If this news means we get the unaltered original trilogy on BD = yay
If not = meh.

I don't care about new Star Wars movies, comic books, coloring books, novels or dental floss.

This is mostly where I am at as well. New movies might be cool, but all I've really ever wanted out of all of this is the UOT.

[Tok]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

This is mostly where I am at as well. New movies might be cool, but all I've really ever wanted out of all of this is the UOT.

I am sorry, but Star Wars at this point is much larger than the UOT. Disney did NOT buy Lucasfilm for that. Again the distribution of the last two trilogies still belongs to Fox until 2020 and the original film's distribution is under Fox with no expiration.

While not a fan of all the changes, the number of fans clamoring, hoping for an UOT BD release represents a miniscule amount of money to be made off the franchise. This whole deal is about keeping the franchise relevant to new generations of movie viewers.

Disney isn't dumb. They know that Star Wars lost some traction after fan reaction to the prequels. They know that the new movies have to excel to keep the franchise relevant for a new generation of fans otherwise Disney just threw $4B out the window.

But for all the hate the prequels get, people forget the last one was generally well received critically and also did well at the BO. For all the hate on those 3 films they were still box office blockbusters. Tell me another series that got so much fanboy hate that still rode the cash gravy train.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

Because it's a complete hypocrisy - you can't, on one hand, hate the man who made the Star Wars universe and then, on the other, love what he created. Lucas and Star Wars go hand-in-hand because he created them, so you can't have one without the other

Disagree 100%. You can like something and not like it's creator. Lots of people liked the classic Volkswagen Beetle, but hardly anyone likes the guy who thought it up and commissioned it.

Lucas is a lot like Gene Roddenberry was in his final couple of years. Roddenberry was holding Trek back, and when he had to step down, The Next Generation began to take off.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by CraigW

I am sorry, but Star Wars at this point is much larger than the UOT. Disney did NOT buy Lucasfilm for that.

While not a fan of all the changes, the number of fans clamoring, hoping for an UOT BD release represents a miniscule amount of money to be made off the franchise. This whole deal is about keeping the franchise relevant to new generations of movie viewers.

I really do not care. Honestly.

I like the preservation of movies. Artistic integrity matters to me. I (and a very significant portion of people) would like to see the original three films the way they were originally presented, brought up to the current standards of video and audio excellence. Period.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

Because it's a complete hypocrisy - you can't, on one hand, hate the man who made the Star Wars universe and then, on the other, love what he created.

Which - if any - of the following statements are hypocritical...

• He was a very good director in the seventies but has been at best mediocre since.
  
• There was a time I really, really looked forward to his stuff but Jedi kind of gave me pause and TPM certainly didn't help.
  
• Star Wars and Empire were freaking awesome but I kind of wish he'd keep his distance from here on out.
  
• I love the original SW but hate Lucas being involved in these new ones.

(and ftr, loving a work of art in no way obligates one to look favorably on the artist. I don't 'hate the man who created the Star Wars universe' but if I did that would no more preclude me from loving Star Wars than condemning Roman Polanski would preclude me from loving Chinatown)

[GeneD5]

Originally Posted by tilallr1

This is how I would love to see the continuing saga:

I think the story will take place somewhere 20 to 40 years after Return of the Jedi. Luke starts new Jedi academy, and now is rebuilding the Jedi for the New Republic. Leia is Chancellor of the New Republic, and Han and Lando are running emissary missions to bring more Star Systems under the New Republic. Han and Leia have kids, who are now extremely powerful Jedi's on their first missions for the republic. The story will follow their path. With the original characters being more or less cameos.

Hope full titles:

Episode VII - Heir to the Empire
Episode VIII - Return of the Sith
Episode IX - Dark Empire

This is pretty cool...nice job! It would be really need to have the original actors, particularly as old-man Luke at the top of the new and growing jedi order. The movie could start out showing how the Jedi order, as well as peace in the republic are steadily growing. Some sith force has to emerge threatening that new peace. While things are on the edge, the story could tilt towards more empire/chaos, or the new peaceful republic/jedi order.

I hope they bring in a dark, scary, powerful sith. And not some freak alien thing either...someone real and evil like the emporer was. They did a great job with him in episode 3.

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by Aragorn84

Lucas, the man who created Star Wars in 1977, just became too powerful. He came to a point where no one was willing to say "George, that's going too far", or "That's not a good idea, George."

I've continued to have respect for the man throughout the years, regardless of some mistakes made in the prequels or the Special Editions - because deep down he is still that same guy. But there comes a point when you get to close to your own work, and it suffers as a result. That time came for Lucas many years ago, and nobody was there to rein him in.

I don't want him to not be involved in some creative capacity, which is why I'm glad he's staying on as a consultant. But it is time to hand the reins to other people - and Kathleen Kennedy is an excellent person to do that. Bring in some fresh blood to direct and write the screenplays, with George still having input in the story direction. This is just the right thing to happen. The more I've thought about this over the past day, the more excited I am.

This is the best post on here. Completely sums up everything.

[Tok]

Originally Posted by BouCoupDinkyDau

Disagree 100%. You can like something and not like it's creator. Lots of people liked the classic Volkswagen Beetle, but hardly anyone likes the guy who thought it up and commissioned it.

Lucas is a lot like Gene Roddenberry was in his final couple of years. Roddenberry was holding Trek back, and when he had to step down, The Next Generation began to take off.

And for all the hate GL gets, he realized that fans wanted more but he did not have it in him to do another trilogy. Remember he said something to the effect a few months back, why do another one when all it does it get you more hated by the fans.

GL did what the fanantics have been asking for since Ep I, he finally stepped aside. Sure he is on board as a consultant, but that is most likely a transition phase so Disney can put his name on the next trilogy instead of looking like Disney just is capitalizing off the franchise name.

[Kocheese99]

The big question now is who is directing. I think Spielberg will do one. But I do not believe it will be the first one.

Here's some choices:

James Cameron: Too busy with Avatar
Kevin Smith: Very doubtful
Ridley Scott: Too busy with Prometheus series
Guillermo Del Toro: I like this choice. But will he be tied up with a new hellboy.
Joss Whedon: too busy with Avengers
Kenneth Branagh: I like this choice too. Especially after Thor.
Darren Aronofsky: Possible but depends on Noah.
JJ Abrams: I think he would do well but this and Star Trek?
Brad Bird: He might be available and I liked MI4

Or just give it to Pixar.

[Ill_Be_Back]

Will be sticking to the original trilogy. No need for anymore BAD Star Wars films... Unless by some miracle they are good!