Episodes VII, VIII and Rogue One were all made by Lucasfilm after it was purchased by Disney. From the sound of things, Disney’s handling it the same way they’ve been handling Marvel: give them a boatload of money to hire good people and then stay hands-off.
I would totally pay to see the Christopher Guest improv troupe do Star Wars.
3 Likes
I’m not sure why I keep seeing Johnson as the first name people suggest. Sure the guy made some pretty classic kids movies. More than two decades ago. But even those are often not particularly good movies as fun as they are. And a lot of his more recent out put is safe to outright bad.
I mean he’s a safe sensible choice, a capable technition. But I’m not sure why anyone would be excited about it outside of nostalgia and his past connection to Lucasfilm and Star Wars.
As I understand it that’s not really the model. The approach is apparently to book promising directors with just enough experience to pull of a block buster of this scale. Before they get expensive, And lock them into a contract. After you’ve got a few blockbusters, even bad ones, under your belt you cost a lot more to book. Basically the idea is to get your Chris Nolan’s or your Zack Snider’s before they cost as much as Snider or Nolan.
Marvel started with that model. If you think about it not all of these guys are all that young. Most of them in their 40s. Most of them have a fair bit of experience in TV, Indy film, studio pictures, or Europe. Some of them are younger and less experienced, with not very much buzz but blockbuster experience, like trevorow. Others critical darlings and ambitious with little studio background. Like Rain Johnson. James gun has been making movies since the mid 90’s and has been through the studio ringer a few times. Joe Johnson is a safe director who’s been doing studio work since at least the 70’s. But very few of them have done multiple tent pole blockbusters of Star Wars scale. Or at least undeniably successful ones. The idea is the keep costs low, talent high. And make up for the lack of experience by fostering these people through centrally controlled writing and producing.
Sort of a TV writers room/ editorial bullpen approach. That’s where Abram’s makes sense. He’s not a terribly exciting director and he’s expensive. But he’s capable. And you wouldn’t necessarily want him doing all The Star Wars. But what he’s actually spent most his time doing, And had his most success with. Is producing and show running. So he’s a great choice to over see the whole thing.
And there’s I think where the problems came in. They made some poor choices for people to have that level of creative control. They don’t have the central writing control marvel has. And Abram’s seems less involved than he was supposed to be from the start. In effect he (or some one like him) should be the stock sub in when the other directors hit trouble. To prop them up or keep them from going off the rails. There should be outlines, And more writers involved.
Ideal you still want the creatives in as much control as possible. But you need a baseline to step in where there is an issue. I don’t know that Lucasfilm has figured out how to make that system work right. They’re bouncing between extremes. Rian Johnson gets to do whatever he wants. And the han solo dudes get Ron Howarded.
1 Like
Besides his longtime connection to Star Wars as a designer and effects artist who knows the property quite well, his work directing the first Captain America film just a few years ago tells me he can handle a big blockbuster film like this. He wouldn’t be my first choice, but I feel like he must have been on the shortlist.
(Studio exec going over script): “Wait, can you explain this? All of a sudden Samuel Jackson is back, and he’s talking very differently than in the prequels. First of all, how is he alive again, and second how did the n-word get into the Star Wars universe?”
2 Likes
I meant basically the same thing. Newer directors with clear talent, but not nearly as established as a lot of others out there. Less established directors also are less likely to be stubborn and more open to suggestions. That is, they usually lack some of the ego, and appreciate the opportunity more.
Considering Disney has more money than God, not sure why they are being stingy with talent, though.
All things considered, I wouldn’t mind being Ron Howarded if I had a film to produce.
1 Like
It’s the whole system marvel pioneered. Build talent instead of buying it. Get people on the upswing instead of when they start to Peter out and produce bland. Keeps the costs low so that the near misses like Any Man. Or any out and out bombs are evened out by surprise piggy banks like Guardian’s. That way you can spread the money around to more than just big headline names. Take risks. Give more creative freedom. They do the same with actors.
Guardians made nearly the same amount of money as Batman Vs Superman world wide. But it cost way less to make, And it’s a better film thanks to some risky moves. So people actually wanted to see the sequel. So even if the box office for guardians and bats Vs herpes are roughly similar. Guardians was way more profitable. And will continue to be so going forward.
It’s an inspired choice. Probably not cheap. But Howard probably should have done something Star Wars related before. At his best,least awards baity, his stuff has the right level of charm and quirk for it.
And he’d done that sort of thing multiple times before. But the first Captain America movie while pretty damn solid and quietly charming. Is about as good as Johnson’s done in decades.
I’d be fine with him doing a Star Wars. It’s probably be pretty good. But I don’t know if I’d be excited about it. And I don’t know what we’d get out of it. He’d probably be best suited to sitting in that cruel overlord roll with Abrams and Kennedy. If Abram’s isn’t going to sweep in and prop up the chosen directors Johnson would be great at that.
Maybe someone at Lucasfilm finally got around to watching “The Book of Henry.”
There were stories from people working on the Han Solo movie that the crew burst into applause when Ron Howard walked on set. He’s an old pro and knows how to handle a giant movie. The other guys were apparently handling it like 21 Jump Street and didn’t know how to deal with an SFX crew.
One could say that Willow was just a medieval Star Wars movie 
7 Likes
I’d prefer Kevin Smith
2 Likes
I’d prefer Kevin Bacon.
1 Like
Oh, how cool would it be to get Richard Vander Wende designing it?
1 Like
If it were possible, 1970ies/1980ies Ken Russell. Would give the franchise an interesting new spin.
3 Likes
How close have you been paying attention to the new canon? I’m just curious because the greater new canon is pushing in the direction of a radically different story, even if nothing is incredibly unique. I’m by no means an expert on the new canon, just throwing my two cents in given what I have read and seen.
Not very. The movies and the Rebels cartoon are all I am digesting. Not into the comics or books really. Though I occasionally glean part of a story line from a review.
Well we won’t know until episode 8.
I would give my right arm for a Wim Wenders Star Wars movie.
1 Like
I’d only sacrifice a limb if we can get Akira Kurosawa to do it. But it probably doesn’t really matter who’s directing it. I can’t stand Jurassic World, but Colin Terrorrerorrorevorrow is as good as any other schlub who wants to take a stab at directing Star Wars.
The result will still be Wars in Stars, good or bad. Probably some Death Star, too.
1 Like
I think Ron Howard will direct every Star Wars movie from now on. Including voice-over. And Clint Howard as the guy behind Snoke.
Coen Brothers
2 Likes
