J.J. Abrams Turned Down Directing New Star Wars Movies

[Greg Tito]

J.J. Abrams Turned Down Directing New Star Wars Movies

The director said he's committed to the Star Trek franchise.

Back when George Lucas announced he was stepping down from head of Lucasfilm and handing over the whole company to Disney for a cool $4 billion [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120408-Disney-Acquires-Lucasfilm], the idea of a who would make the next Star Wars film was on everyone's mind. Names were bandied about like so many TIE fighters, with fan-favorites like Joss Whedon (Firefly, The Avengers) and Jon Favreau (Iron Man) at the top of the list. But the one director many people wanted to see helm the re-emergence of the Star Wars brand was the guy who'd deftly handled another sci-fi reboot - J. J. Abrams. He turned them down.

"There were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan, I wouldn't even want to be involved in the next version of those things," Abrams said in an interview with Empire Magazine.

"I declined any involvement very early on," he said. "I'd rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them."

I can't say I think Abrams would have been the best choice anyway; We'll be spared the disappointment of a fantastic premise ending badly (Lost) or young pretty officers bickering and banging (Star Trek). On the other hand, with Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) picked to write Star Wars Episode VII [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120586-Disney-Hands-Star-Wars-Episode-VII-to-the-Writer-of-Toy-Story-3], I'm not sure the new film will be what fans really want.

Honestly, given how much the prequels burned through my love of the original films, I'd like to see what a Wes Anderson Star Wars movie would look like.

Source: Hollywood Reporter [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/jj-abrams-declined-star-wars-406369]

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[BoogieManFL]

I can't help but imagine how a Star Wars movie directed by Quintin Terantino would turn out.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

A Wes Anderson Star Wars? Sure, why not. Never had much of a personal connection to the Star Wars franchise so i actually wouldn't mind if they tried to take it into an unusual direction. Now, sadly i know very well that they probably won't take any risks with it but a man can dream...

I mean, can you believe that once David Lynch was considered to direct a Star Wars movie? That would have been amazing!

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

Sure why not Wes Anderson, Who'd have thought Kenneth Branagh could make a half decent superhero movie?

 

[Casual Shinji]

Honestly, given how much the prequels burned through my love of the original films, I'd like to see what a Wes Anderson Star Wars movie would look like.

Bill Murray could be the wise old sage Jedi, and Mark Mothersbaugh could handle the soundtrack.

...

Shit, I kind of wanna see this now.

 

[fix-the-spade]

David Fincher.
I want a David Fincher Star Wars movie.

I'm delighted it's not Abrams though, Star Wars as a group of perfect almost-characters partially obscured by lens-flare, what a thought.

 

[Vie]

*Beats head against wall.*

Star Wars, you had one job!

 

[Dana22]

I can't help but imagine how a Star Wars movie directed by Quintin Terantino would turn out.

30 minute Cantina scene with Han and Greedo playing pictionary.

 

[ColdinT]

I'm personally glad. He did a decent job with the Star Trek movie, but it's certainly nothing like old school Star Trek. And Lost, Revolution, and Super 8 were all just terrible.

Maybe it all he does is direct, but I don't think he should have hardly any control on a script.

 

[mattttherman3]

Good, that would have been BLASPHAME. BTW the only two things that suck about new star trek are: Lens flare and the fact that Uhura has replaced McCoy in the main 3.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

I keep saying, just get Joe Johnston to direct and everything should be gravy.

 

[Remus]

You forgot 2 things about J.J. Abram's movies:

Lens Flares

and LENS FLARES!

I wouldn't dare let him near the Star Wars franchise. 5 seconds with a lightsaber and the whole world would go blind.

 

[Sylveria]

*Eye-roll* And the old-time Star Trek fans start raging. This may come as a shock, but the original Trek cast was TV pretty for their time and giant, rubber suits are not passable special effects 50 years later. Oh.. and there's young, attractive men and women in the space-military and they're letting their emotions and physical desires manifest? The hell you say? Good there our military is nothing but fat, ugly slobs who are certainly not attractive nor ever having sex. Who-ever heard of women finding a man in uniform sexy. I know I haven't. Kirk NEVER had sex with anything in the original series.

Obviously they should have had the original cast reprise their roles for this movie with the same budget and effects people they had in 1965. I'd love to see Nimoy and Nichols making out and Shatner banging some green chick. That'd be so hot.

Hey, Trekkies, appreciate what you got. At least your child-hood memories aren't in the hands of Michael Bay. I'd happily trade a little lens flare if it meant I didn't have to see Devastator's scrotum.

 

[shiajun]

Good. I have no faith in J.J. Abrams any more, nor any of the Lost producers anyway. When I was watching Prometheus and Damon Lindelof's name came up in the writing credits my mind went immediately to "uh-oh". I wasn't wrong. Also, Star Trek and Super 8 were fun but I agree the lens flare is just too much of a directorial vice. There's too much, just way too much. It tarnishes otherwise nice images. Though, with the amount of crappy CGI thrown about in the Star Wars filsm, maybe all that bliding light might make them more tolerable.

 

[NotALiberal]

*Eye-roll* And the old-time Star Trek fans start raging. This may come as a shock, but the original Trek cast was TV pretty for their time and giant, rubber suits are not passable special effects 50 years later. Oh.. and there's young, attractive men and women in the space-military and they're letting their emotions and physical desires manifest? The hell you say? Good there our military is nothing but fat, ugly slobs who are certainly not attractive nor ever having sex. Who-ever heard of women finding a man in uniform sexy. I know I haven't. Kirk NEVER had sex with anything in the original series.

Obviously they should have had the original cast reprise their roles for this movie with the same budget and effects people they had in 1965. I'd love to see Nimoy and Nichols making out and Shatner banging some green chick. That'd be so hot.

Hey, Trekkies, appreciate what you got. At least your child-hood memories aren't in the hands of Michael Bay. I'd happily trade a little lens flare if it meant I didn't have to see Devastator's scrotum.

This man is on the money.. well said.

As someone who had never seen the original Star Trek in any incarnation at all (the 2009 film being my first exposure to the franchise), I thought the J.J. Abrams Star Trek film was brilliant, with well fleshed out characters, a decent enough plot, and it was well paced with solid directing (with the exception of the lens-flare porn).

 

[chiefohara]

Well they can't possibly make Star Wars any worse than the last three movies,

So disney's first one is a kind of freebie for them...

Like the idea of Josh Wheedon in charge though.

 

[Epona]

*Eye-roll* And the old-time Star Trek fans start raging. This may come as a shock, but the original Trek cast was TV pretty for their time and giant, rubber suits are not passable special effects 50 years later. Oh.. and there's young, attractive men and women in the space-military and they're letting their emotions and physical desires manifest? The hell you say? Good there our military is nothing but fat, ugly slobs who are certainly not attractive nor ever having sex. Who-ever heard of women finding a man in uniform sexy. I know I haven't. Kirk NEVER had sex with anything in the original series.

Obviously they should have had the original cast reprise their roles for this movie with the same budget and effects people they had in 1965. I'd love to see Nimoy and Nichols making out and Shatner banging some green chick. That'd be so hot.

Hey, Trekkies, appreciate what you got. At least your child-hood memories aren't in the hands of Michael Bay. I'd happily trade a little lens flare if it meant I didn't have to see Devastator's scrotum.

This man is on the money.. well said.

As someone who had never seen the original Star Trek in any incarnation at all (the 2009 film being my first exposure to the franchise), I thought the J.J. Abrams Star Trek film was brilliant, with well fleshed out characters, a decent enough plot, and it was well paced with solid directing (with the exception of the lens-flare porn).

That you were new to the franchise is why you thought the 2009 movie was good. Being a Trek fan since TNG in the late 80's it isn't so simple for me to enjoy this movie after the credits rolled. It was a fun ride but when all is said and done, it isn't a great Trek film.

Of course, I enjoyed Insurrection because it was more like the TV series than a Hollywood blockbuster so take my opinion at that value. Action movies bore me for the most part so I really didn't think First Contact was as great as most people do.