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

[Beast]

Disturbia shows that Shia isn't that horrible an actor. He just needs a better role than the Transformers films to show it.

[aiman04]

MICHAEL ARNDT TO WRITE SCREENPLAY FOR STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

November 09, 2012

As pre-production of Star Wars: Episode VII begins, Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film. As revealed in the ongoing video series posted here on StarWars.com, Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas have begun story conferences with Arndt. Arndt won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for writing Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing Toy Story 3 (2010).

For more news about Star Wars: Episode VII -- slated for a 2015 release -- keep checking StarWars.com.

http://starwars.com/news/michael-arn...isode-vii.html

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by aiman04

MICHAEL ARNDT TO WRITE SCREENPLAY FOR STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

November 09, 2012

As pre-production of Star Wars: Episode VII begins, Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film. As revealed in the ongoing video series posted here on StarWars.com, Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas have begun story conferences with Arndt. Arndt won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for writing Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing Toy Story 3 (2010).

For more news about Star Wars: Episode VII -- slated for a 2015 release -- keep checking StarWars.com.

http://starwars.com/news/michael-arn...isode-vii.html

Hell yeah!

[Will21st]

Originally Posted by aiman04

MICHAEL ARNDT TO WRITE SCREENPLAY FOR STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

November 09, 2012

As pre-production of Star Wars: Episode VII begins, Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film. As revealed in the ongoing video series posted here on StarWars.com, Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas have begun story conferences with Arndt. Arndt won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for writing Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing Toy Story 3 (2010).

For more news about Star Wars: Episode VII -- slated for a 2015 release -- keep checking StarWars.com.

http://starwars.com/news/michael-arn...isode-vii.html

Excellent choice,me thinks. He can write Drama,Action and Fantasy.... should be good.

[The Edge]

Originally Posted by segagamer12

Harrison is getting to old to be doing both Star Wars *and* Indiana Jones.

And yet, Harrison wants to be a part of Star Wars again.

And, Carrie Fisher was recorded on video saying she wants to be in it too.

And, this piece.

The merger between George Lucas’s brainchild and Disney, announced October 30, caught the town by surprise. And talent agents were similarly astonished to learn that Arndt had been at work on the treatment long before the deal was announced, catching them flat-footed and cutting off any chance they’d have to proffer their own many eager candidates for the coveted job.

Sources also tell Vulture that the studio’s brass want to bring back the three central characters of the original Star Wars: a much older Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. No deals are in place with any of the original actors, though our source did say it had high ambitions to sign up Mark Hamill, and EW recently reported that Harrison Ford was open to the idea of returning.

[AintNoSin]

Originally Posted by Buddy Ackerman

They can't - Fox still owns the distributions rights to the original six films. The "rumour (that has) been swirling since the news broke" is just fan speculation.

Fox can't prevent Disney/LucasFilm from restoring the films. The creative rights have always resided with Lucas, so the decision to restore the UOT would be entirely Disney's. They would still have to release them through Fox. Since I don't think either company would be adverse to making money, the only barrier to this is Disney's willingness to restore the original OT.

[AintNoSin]

Originally Posted by Beast

Star Wars is more in the genre of Fantasy than actual Sci-Fi. And outside of E.T., Spielberg isn't as known for it.

He wasn't known for Holocaust movies before Schindler's List. He wasn't really known for war movies before SPR. He certainly wasn't known for shark movies before Jaws. Okay, he really wasn't known for anything before Jaws, so I'll give you that one.0\

[Bluyoda]

Originally Posted by aiman04

MICHAEL ARNDT TO WRITE SCREENPLAY FOR STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

[Show spoiler]November 09, 2012

As pre-production of Star Wars: Episode VII begins, Lucasfilm has confirmed that award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay for the new Star Wars film. As revealed in the ongoing video series posted here on StarWars.com, Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas have begun story conferences with Arndt. Arndt won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for writing Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing Toy Story 3 (2010).

For more news about Star Wars: Episode VII -- slated for a 2015 release -- keep checking StarWars.com.

http://starwars.com/news/michael-arn...isode-vii.html

The force is strong with this one!

[tigertron]

Spielburg's answer was pretty strange. It's not his genre? what about War of the Worlds, Close Encounters and E.T? sci-fi is definately his genre.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by tigertron

Spielburg's answer was pretty strange. It's not his genre? what about War of the Worlds, Close Encounters and E.T? sci-fi is definately his genre.

Apart from War of the Worlds--in which Tom Cruise saves his kids in humanity's last working station wagon--the last time Spielberg did science-fiction was "A.I."
Before that, it was Minority Report, where....Tom Cruise obsessed over his lost kids.

Let's be honest: We're talking about a DIFFERENT Spielberg than we were in 1982. You can't have the old one back.

[aiman04]

I think when we say Star Wars it's a genre of its own. It's a war/martial-arts/action/adventure/monster/sci-fi/fantasy/family/drama/love story, it even has ghosts. There's nothing like it. That's what he meant.

[segagamer12]

Originally Posted by The Edge

And yet, Harrison wants to be a part of Star Wars again.

And, Carrie Fisher was recorded on video saying she wants to be in it too.

And, this piece.

Okay learn some reading comprehension and go back and read what I said again, he is too old to do BOTH at the same time, and I would rather he does Star Wars and passes Indy on to Shia. I also mentioned several times I want all the main cast so all your doing is agreeing with me.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by AintNoSin

He wasn't known for Holocaust movies before Schindler's List. He wasn't really known for war movies before SPR. He certainly wasn't known for shark movies before Jaws. Okay, he really wasn't known for anything before Jaws, so I'll give you that one.0\

Oh, we was certainly known. Duel was a made-for-tv movie, so skillful it was released theatrically in Europe and his work caused a stir among the film intellegentsia. Then Sugarland won screenwriting honors at the Cannes Film Festival (regardless of the box office, the film was respected, and taste-maker Pauline Kael compared Spielberg to Orson Welles). Jaws just confirmed the faith placed in him by Sid Sheinberg.

I think it is remarkable that Spielberg is such an able genre hopper. His best films are those in which he's taken a crack at a new genre. His lesser films are those where he's sort of covering ground he's already tried.

And he has made sci-fi fantasy films -- E.T. being a notable one, A.I. being another. And he has made pure fantasy films, such as Hook, and "Kick the Can" in Twilight Zone: The Movie.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Apart from War of the Worlds--in which Tom Cruise saves his kids in humanity's last working station wagon--the last time Spielberg did science-fiction was "A.I."
Before that, it was Minority Report, where....Tom Cruise obsessed over his lost kids.

Let's be honest: We're talking about a DIFFERENT Spielberg than we were in 1982. You can't have the old one back.

Anderton's family fell apart when his son, Sean, was abducted. Anderton, a pre-crime investigator, is haunted with guilt, and turns to drugs. Then he is predicted to kill a man by Agatha, and he becomes obssessed with avoiding this fate (like Oedipus, and even loses his eyes like Oedipus). Reducing Minority Report down to "Tom Cruise obssessed over his kids" isn't numerically accurate, or a fair summation of the movie.

[Irrob]

Originally Posted by Col. Zombie

If the above is true, I would have to change my pants. TMI, I know, but I don't care. I would kill to see all three of them return as their older selves.

This is how it should be. The idea of recasting the big three would be a ****ing mistake of galactic proportion.

[rickah88]

Not sure if it's been posted, but here's an interesting article explaining how Disney might untangle the webs of distribution rights from, namely Fox & Paramount, to start making money on their investment.
The article uses a good reference in how Disney "bought back" rights to certain Marvel properties like Avengers/Iron Man3, to release them under the Disney banner.
I just hope Disney's team of lawyers are not the same lawyers that handled the Phase One suitcase release fiasco!

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/articl...63346?page=0,0

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Not sure if it's been posted, but here's an interesting article explaining how Disney might untangle the webs of distribution rights from, namely Fox & Paramount, to start making money on their investment.
The article uses a good reference in how Disney "bought back" rights to certain Marvel properties like Avengers/Iron Man3, to release them under the Disney banner.
I just hope Disney's team of lawyers are not the same lawyers that handled the Phase One suitcase release fiasco!

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/articl...63346?page=0,0

Thanks, Rickah.

On another note, Bob Iger was at the World Premiere for LINCOLN, and was asked on the red carpet about Star Wars. "I'm working very hard on that." he said. Look for Disney to either wait out the 2020 expiration, or just start buying out those contracts. Obviously, the biggest hurdle is the Fox ownership of Episode IV. Going to be fun to watch this all play out.

[Ernest Rister]

SomethingAwful Forum Goons having some photoshop fun with the Disney acquisition.

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/phot...ilm.php?page=1

[legendarymatt92]

Originally Posted by tigertron

Spielburg's answer was pretty strange. It's not his genre? what about War of the Worlds, Close Encounters and E.T? sci-fi is definately his genre.

He knows that Lucas pretty much invented the mash-up of genres that SW is now known for, and couldn't possibly continue the mantle set by his long-term friend. It would become a Spielberg film rather than a Star Wars film.

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Oh, we was certainly known. Duel was a made-for-tv movie, so skillful it was released theatrically in Europe and his work caused a stir among the film intellegentsia. Then Sugarland won screenwriting honors at the Cannes Film Festival (regardless of the box office, the film was respected, and taste-maker Pauline Kael compared Spielberg to Orson Welles). Jaws just confirmed the faith placed in him by Sid Sheinberg.

I think it is remarkable that Spielberg is such an able genre hopper. His best films are those in which he's taken a crack at a new genre. His lesser films are those where he's sort of covering ground he's already tried.

And he has made sci-fi fantasy films -- E.T. being a notable one, A.I. being another. And he has made pure fantasy films, such as Hook, and "Kick the Can" in Twilight Zone: The Movie.

+1 to this. There is no way Spielberg wasn't known - Jaws cemented his place as a blockbuster director, but he'd been known way before that with the films you mention here. And, as for Pauline Kael, if you she mentioned anyone or any film as being good, you can bet that most of America would have heard about it -- for a long time, she was the only real critic that mattered.

And, as for E.T., that pretty much started the whole science fiction trend off once again.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by legendarymatt92

+1 to this. There is no way Spielberg wasn't known - Jaws cemented his place as a blockbuster director, but he'd been known way before that with the films you mention here. And, as for Pauline Kael, if you she mentioned anyone or any film as being good, you can bet that most of America would have heard about it -- for a long time, she was the only real critic that mattered.

And, as for E.T., that pretty much started the whole science fiction trend off once again.

Jaws established Spielberg as a blockbuster filmmaker. After Close Encounters, Kael said Spielberg was the most talented director ever to seem at home with mass-market films. I don't think she ever really understood Spielberg, because she turned on him later down the line. Spielberg was so rattled over the box-office failure of Sugarland, he was very concerned he wouldn't be able to work again, and took JAWS because it reminded him of DUEL, and he was confident he could pull it off. No one was more relieved by the success of Jaws than Spielberg, because the success allowed him to make more movies. Spielberg is an artist, and he is also pragmatic. Box office means more work. He was able to branch out, especially after smashes like Raiders and E.T., but he takes his failures to heart. I think the financial and critical drubbing of Empire of the Sun hit him hard, and I think it shows in his safe choices (and some could argue shortcuts) in Always, Last Crusade, and Hook. I don't think he found himself again until Jurassic Park's action scenes, and the high-wire triumph of Schindler's List.