Star Wars: Episode VII To Be a Send-Off For the Original Cast

[StewShearerOld]

Star Wars: Episode VII To Be a Send-Off For the Original Cast

Anonymous insiders say that director J.J. Abrams plans to focus Star Wars: Episode VII firmly on the original cast.

For the most part I have been pretty ecstatic about Star Wars: Episode VII. It's not that I haven't had doubts. The fact that it still hasn't started shooting, for instance, is something that has me fairly worried about the whole production. That said, most of the news about the movie has left me feeling increasingly more excited about the prospect of a new Star Wars.

Some recent reports on the films progress however, have left me a tad more concerned than I have been in the past. According to supposed insiders, the departure of screenwriter Michael Arndt was, in-part, a result of disagreements with director J.J. Abrams about where the focus of the film should lie. Arndt apparently wanted to concentrate more on the children of the original cast with the older characters serving in support roles. Abrams, conversely, wanted to center Episode VII in on the original trio of Luke, Han and Leia and use the movie as a send-off for the classic characters. In turn, the new characters would be placed on the sidelines and would take center stage more in VIII and IX. To this end, Abrams and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan have apparently made some heavy revisions to Arndt's story, revamping and rewriting several characters and plot moments.

Now, this doesn't have to be bad news. In fact, many fans probably like the idea of Luke, Leia and Han getting a new adventure. That said, it's not 1983 and the original cast, put frankly, are resting more on the geriatric side of the scale these days. I guess it just strikes me as a bit odd to launch a new trilogy of Star Wars films by focusing in on characters who had their arcs soundly resolved 30 years ago. This is, of course, all conjecture and it's important to remember that we don't know who these anonymous sources are. Even so, it's hard not to worry knowing how badly Star Wars can go when it's handled the wrong way.

Source: <a href=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-rumors-who-is-669997>The Hollywood Reporter


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[Daaaah Whoosh]

Someone post the video of Darth Vader screaming "NOOOOO!"

I get that the original trilogy was good, but you're not going to make a good movie just by bringing back everyone and having them waddle about. After Star Trek, you'd think J.J. Abrams would learn that we don't want to see the same recycled stories over again, we just want something new set in the same universe.

 

[vid87]

So, sidelining the new people until the next films to set things up is like a...prequel sequel?

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

I look forward to the announcement that Darth Vader will be in it too.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

I think you should have the old team passing on the torch so to speak. But they shouldnt be in the whole movie, just as cameos. Like Luke could be a teacher to other jedi in the making, give him a few lines but the main focus must be on the new cast.

Hope he doesnt screw it up like Star Trek 2. Starwars has a huge and varied universe and law the same as Star Trek so i will be annoyed if all 3 movies are recycled from the previous movies. Kind of wish they would set them all during the KotOR era, as far away from the original trilogy as possible.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

I look forward to the announcement that Darth Vader will be in it too.

lol. Yeah, the new movie will start with a ruined Anakin in Jedi robes and it turns out all they did was burn his armor. An he turns back to the dark side again and gets new armor that more sleek and modern in the same style as the robocop remake.

 

[Mahorfeus]

I've been hesitant about these ever since I heard that the EU is more or less being abandoned. I have a love-hate relationship with the Expanded Universe, since I feel that it has really benefit the series all throughout its run.

I don't have too much of a problem with these movies focusing on the original cast, though it would be nice to see the new talent shine through in some way or the other. I've always liked Abrams, so I want to see what he ends up doing with this.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Well at least we will get some closure in regards to Admiral Akhbar and the Ewoks! I'm guessing that VII is going to end up being two hours of repeating catchphrases from the earlier movies, mimicking the popular scenes and not actually doing much that is new.

 

[Something Amyss]

I wouldn't mind them being a focus on the movie alongside new characters, but if the new characters are to take a back seat to the old, what's the point?

Well at least we will get some closure in regards to Admiral Akhbar and the Ewoks! I'm guessing that VII is going to end up being two hours of repeating catchphrases from the earlier movies, mimicking the popular scenes and not actually doing much that is new.

So what you're saying is you have a baaad feeling about this?

 

[Quazimofo]

Well at least we will get some closure in regards to Admiral Akhbar and the Ewoks! I'm guessing that VII is going to end up being two hours of repeating catchphrases from the earlier movies, mimicking the popular scenes and not actually doing much that is new.

And trying to mask the fact that Harrison Ford is the only one of the original cast who has aged well. Like, at all. I was hopeful before, but I think this is going to be pretty bad making a movie that FOCUSES on the old cast. The Star Trek reboot was pretty decent and Nimoy only played a minor role. If it was focusing on Shatner and Nimoy, it probably wouldn't have been nearly as god because the actors are LONG past doing that kind of movie in main roles.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

Someone post the video of Darth Vader screaming "NOOOOO!"

The only real issue I've had with the SW revisit was giving it to J.J. Abrams. He spent a good deal of time convincing people he was a big fan and would do things 'right' but this news is going to piss off just about everyone, including the actors.

Carrie Fisher now looks like a haggardly crack fiend and Harrison Ford has straight up stated he hates Star Wars. I think Mark Hamill would be the most likely to enjoy it, but now even he looks like that creepy uncle. They would have been great in supporting roles, but the audience is tired of them almost as much as they are of their roles.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I've been hesitant about these ever since I heard that the EU is more or less being abandoned. I have a love-hate relationship with the Expanded Universe, since I feel that it has really benefit the series all throughout its run.

See I'm actually glad the EU is not being used. I can preserve my personal Canon and not go into a movie adaptation of a hack-version of Thrawn, Mara Jade, etc. Historically how many movie adaptations of literature actually succeeded. Granted there is the unique position books being written post-trilogy and possibly adapted but I still think it would have gone to hell and all. There are things in the books that wouldn't translate to movies well and without them the movies would suffer in story.

 

[ckam]

I was so excited for Ardnt because he was such an bizarre choice for writer, but it made Disney look like they were willing to take risks for the project. But ever since Into Darkness, I've been getting less and less interested in the new episodes.

 

[caleb451]

What, so Abrams wants to have Han Solo or Luke Skywalker die under a piece of metal bridge wreckage, then be buried by the new cast? Classy.

/s

 

[Diablo2000]

I fail to see why it's so bad. The characters deserve a proper send off and was never any secret that new trilogy was going to feature new main characters and a passing of the torch kinda of thing sounds like a good way to proper intruduce them.
Yeah, I quite alright with this.

 

[Jupiter065]

See the grumpy old man who's ruined every recent film he's been in and two venerable (read: aging) TV actors best known for their voice work as they stumble from one pointless overproduced action scene to the next.

Boy I can't wait.

 

[Ace Morologist]

"Finally JJ Abrams will end the classic Star Wars saga the way George Lucas always should have but never could!" ... said executives.

I wish these new movies were completely new people in new places. You know, new stories full of creativity and imagination. Keep the lightsabers, keep the Force (TK, mind-control, ESP), keep blasters and spaceships, keep droids with personality. Keep the recognizable elements of the setting, but distance the new story from the old stories and the history we saw in the first six movies. Don't move a generation ahead, move 1,000 years ahead. Or 500 years back. Something.

But that isn't really what's in style now, is it? Nostalgia and call-backs are what's in style, aren't they? That's probably why JJ Abrams got the job in the first place. That's pretty much what he does.

Oh well.

--Morology!

 

[Mahorfeus]

I've been hesitant about these ever since I heard that the EU is more or less being abandoned. I have a love-hate relationship with the Expanded Universe, since I feel that it has really benefit the series all throughout its run.

See I'm actually glad the EU is not being used. I can preserve my personal Canon and not go into a movie adaptation of a hack-version of Thrawn, Mara Jade, etc. Historically how many movie adaptations of literature actually succeeded. Granted there is the unique position books being written post-trilogy and possibly adapted but I still think it would have gone to hell and all. There are things in the books that wouldn't translate to movies well and without them the movies would suffer in story.

As much as I liked Thrawn (and loathed the Yuuzhan Vong), seeing him on the big screen wasn't my expectation. It's just that this 'canon' has been built up for so many years, that I kind of expected it to be acknowledged in some way. As it is, none of it will be able to coexist. And gods know what kind of literary works will be spawned by the sequel trilogy.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Jar Jar Abrams is going to fuck this up, I know. It's impossible not to considering all the news surrounding episode VII.