STAR WARS Roundup – 11.19.12
Who would have thought we’d ever be talking about a new Star Wars movie?
Yet, here we are, only two years out from the first of a new trilogy planned by the Walt Disney Company after having bought out George Lucas for ownership of Lucasfilm and everything that goes with it.
What? You missed that news? Go here and catch up –> [Disney Buys Lucasfilm]
OK. Caught up? Now, let’s put together everything we know so far about the latest tale from a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
THE SCHEDULE
Shortly after announcing the buyout, Disney exec Robert Iger said the plans for the franchise include the next trilogy starting in 2015. This would put Star Wars on the big screen up against The Avengers 2 and (if DC can get their act together) Justice League. It will be the Summer of the Geek. Can you imagine what San Diego will be like?
After the release of Episode VII, Disney plans to release a new installment every two years for the foreseeable future. And lest one wonder if they can keep up that pace, remember the Disney folks are watching over the Marvel movies with a similar schedule as well. And that raises the question as to whether or not these stories will be more character driven than CG-driven, as the original trilogy compares to the prequels. One can only hope.
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Kathleen Kennedy, recently announced as Lucas’ successor as CEO of Lucasfilm, will now have the title of President under the new arrangement, and she’ll shepherd along the new movies. This is a good development, as Kennedy has a strong track record that includes the Indiana Jones series. George Lucas will serve as a creative consultant, acting only as an advisor for the new story.
Speaking of which…
THE STORY
We know a treatment’s done. Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt, who won an Oscar for his debut screenplay for Little Miss Sunshine, has delivered a treatment for the first script. [Vulture]
The folks over at MarketSaw claim to have an insider with information about the new trilogy, which allegedly includes many of the original cast of characters and is based on drafts from the original story Lucas crafted in the early 1970s. Remember, first generation fans, when we heard that there were going to be nine films altogether? Twelve films? It seems there actually were plans for those stories, and this trilogy — while it may or may not be based on those scribbles — will be an original story. (What that means for the Extended Universe is anyone’s guess, but my own youngling was ecstatic that it meant Chewbacca is still alive…)
Dale Pollock, author of the unauthorized Lucas biography, Skywalking: The Life And Films Of George Lucas, was allowed to read the outlines to the 12 stories written by the filmmaker but was required to sign a confidentiality agreement. He tells The Wrap that episodes 7, 8 and 9 were the “most exciting” of the original stories Lucas outlined, and although he claims Lucas was dissatisfied with Mark Hamill’s performance, Hamill himself has said that Lucas told him and co-star Carrie Fisher about the buyout before it was officially announced, and that he’s willing to reprise his role as Luke Skywalker. [Entertainment Weekly]
The sequel trilogy was originally to be set about forty years after events in Return of the Jedi, with a 60-ish Jedi Master Luke Skywalker working to restore the Jedi Order as the Galactic Republic finally took the place of the remnants of the Empire.
Wookieepedia has a very interesting timeline on just how the idea of twelve — no, nine — no, six — no, nine — films has fluctuated over the years, citing numerous interviews with Lucas and producer Gary Kurtz, along with Hamill and Peter Mayhew.
Also, according to Entertainment Weekly, even Harrison Ford is open to the possibility of returning to play Han Solo, even though he wanted to kill off the character in Jedi. A source tells EW that “all three of them” are upbeat about the possibility of coming back.
Rumors for the story include the return of Darth Vader, although that’s in a British tabloid and has no corroboration anywhere yet. Also, given that this story would be taking place so long after Return of the Jedi, it’s unrealistic to think Vader could return in any way other than a flashback.
MarketSaw also has a list of possible contenders for director:
- Steven Spielberg
- Neil Blomkamp
- Alfonso Cuarón
- Matthew Vaughn
- Darren Arnofsky
- Joss Whedon
Collider confirms the possibility of Vaughn as a director, and that Episode VII is the main reason he’s no longer directing the next X-Men movie.
Those who won’t be directing:
- Brad Bird, who’ll be working on 1952 with George Clooney [HitFix]
THE TIE-INS
Currently, Star Wars: The Clone Wars airs on Cartoon Network, which is owned by Warner Bros. And the comic book is published by Dark Horse Comics. When asked about the possibility that Star Warscould move over to Marvel Comics (which is where it started way back when),Dark Horse President Mike Richardson released a statement saying that, although the franchise “will be with us for the near future…we’ll all have to see what [the Disney acquisition] means for the future,” which could suggest a shift in publishing houses in the future. Disney’s Iger also said that Disney XD would be a great home for Clone Wars. So could this mean a change in venue down the road? What would that mean for Cartoon Network, which seems to be having issues with the DC Comics properties?
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Note that in this interview, Lucas says he has treatments for VII, VIII, and IX along with “other movies” — meaning other Star Wars movies, or just movies in general for Kennedy to produce?
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Now, for those getting your hopes up that this could finally mean a release of the original unaltered trilogy on Blu-Ray, nothing has been said about it. According to comments on discussion boards, those distribution rights are held by Twentieth Century Fox in perpetuity. Take that with a grain of salt, because if Disney wants something badly enough, they’ll pay through the nose to get it.
Also, remember that Lucas and co-producer Rick McCallum have both said that the negatives for the original trilogy were taken apart to allow insertion of the Special Edition material. So it’s possible (however unlikely) that the original trilogy might not exist. Maybe.
And what about the Star Wars Holiday Special?
