Eppy VII: J.J. Abrams Ain't Doin' It

[lazypadawan]

J.J. Abrams told "Empire" magazine he "declined early on" directing Episode VII:

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00056635.html

It seems to me the convo probably went more like this:

"Hey, guess what they're making more Star Wars movies."

"God help the poor bastard they pick to make that thing! Don't even ask me! Trekkies are easier to please!"

Eh, fine by me. The King of the Lens Flare is what I call a Fifty Percenter. The last thing I want is a director who's determined to "fix" the saga his way and ignore or try to retroactively discredit the prequels. We need somebody who respects Lucas's vision as a whole, not an overgrown fanboy looking to create a late '70s nostalgia piece.

That's nearly all of the fanboy faves, isn't it? They've all demurred, citing "other projects" or "fear."

Again, think outside of the box:

http://lazypadawan.livejournal.com/842659.html

Comments

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

I read Abrams' reboot as a classically sci-fi way to remake the series without having to literally rehash every episode as was previously told. Also, the thought that a new reality may mean that Kirk may not die from falling off a tiny bridge with a miniscule amount of bleeding is comforting to me. Cuz that was just a giant insult to his character that I'll never forgive! LOL

Nah, but seriously, I'm glad he said no. Star Trek and Star Wars NEED to remain as different as they always have been. It makes the epic universes that much more awesome! :D

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I couldn't see anyone doing both series at the same time. They're quite different though I think they really tried to amp up the action angle in the '09 Trek movie; at the time I thought it was Trek On Red Bull.

Heh heh re Kirk's demise in "Generations." Though it was nice to see Kirk alongside Picard!

[may-child.livejournal.com]

Could it be that he declined partly because he sensed/knew he COULDN'T turn Ep. VII into a way to "fix" the prequels, or otherwise cater to the hateboys? I have no idea what the particulars of the Lucas/Disney deal are, but I'm hoping that Lucas made it very clear in said deal that his vision is to be respected.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Me too.

[rkc-erika.livejournal.com]

#1 He's knee deep into working on Trek right now, SW would conflict w/ his production schedule. Plus it would rather be like asking a producer to work on a Justice League movie and an X-Men project at the same time - working for rival houses wouldn't really be a good idea.

I was thrilled when he said eons ago that he wouldn't want to do SW because I personally think that Abrams is a blowhard who loves hearing himself speak. I went to the first FRINGE panel where he was there and he spent the ENTIRE 45 minutes talking about himself. Watch interviews w/ him - he goes on and on and on and on...god he's ANNOYING.

I was mostly enjoying the new TREK movie right up until everyone on the bridge miraculously looked up at some big turn of events and said "wow - guess what we've just created an alternate universe, we're now living in a brand new timeline of events..." *GROAN* thank YOU Abrams for completely dumbing down the film so that the Mom and Pop non-sci-fi fan viewers can understand what's going on.

Yes, by all means PLEASE stay FAR FAR away from my GFFA.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Nothing's more fun than listening to a Hollywood guy talk about his own awesomeness /sarc.

[nic]

I'm glad to hear this. I've enjoyed the Trek reboot but it hardly captures the 'spirit' of the original - it's just a big, shiny modern movie with some familiar names. STAR WARS is, IMO, timeless. It doesn't need to be fresh and edgy

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Agreed!

[leia-naberrie.livejournal.com]

Awwww... Such a shame. He so much wanted to make a Star Wars movie that he made his Star Trek movie a Star Wars movie. And now that he has a chance to actually make a real Star Wars movie... he's too tied up making his pseudo!StarWars film. There is a moral in there somewhere...

[ladyaeryn.livejournal.com]

Thank the Maker. After the Trek reboot, I don't want him anywhere near SW. I'll admit to enjoying "Alias" in the beginning, but the impression I get from how that series turned out is that he can be decent on the original idea and launch, but not so much on following through with the execution to the end.