J. J. Abrams will direct new "Star Wars"
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:30 am
J.J. Abrams will direct new 'Star Wars' for Disney
Director jumps from one iconic sci-fi franchise to another
By Don Kaye
Special to MSN Movies
LucasFilm and its owner Disney have reportedly decided on a director for the new "Star Wars" movie, and it's J.J. Abrams.
According to The Wrap, Abrams beat out Ben Affleck for the job, for which names like Brad Bird ("Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"), Guillermo Del Toro ("Pacific Rim") and David Fincher ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") have also been mentioned.
"Star Wars: Episode VII" will be the first new film in the franchise since 2005's "Revenge of the Sith," the last of three prequels directed by series creator George Lucas.
It will also be the first since Lucas sold his company last year to Disney in a surprise deal that stunned fans everywhere, who thought that the "Star Wars" saga was finished theatrically.
If Abrams is confirmed as the director, that means he'll be jumping from one iconic sci-fi property to another: he's just finishing up "Star Trek Into Darkness," his second film in that rebooted franchise, for a May 17 release through Paramount.
Abrams and his Bad Robot company are also behind numerous genre properties on the big and small screens, including "Lost," the just-concluded "Fringe," "Revolution," "Super 8" and others.
It was just in November that Abrams was asked if he'd be interested in directing a new "Star Wars" film. Although admitting he'd been approached, he said that as a fan, the prospect was almost too intimidating for him to take on.
It's unclear if his involvement with "Star Wars" will hamper his ability to direct a third "Star Trek" film, which will presumably get underway if "Into Darkness" is as big a hit as 2009's "Star Trek."
No one at Disney or LucasFilm has officially commented on this report yet. "Star Wars - Episode VII" is tentatively scheduled to arrive in the summer of 2015.
Director jumps from one iconic sci-fi franchise to another
By Don Kaye
Special to MSN Movies
LucasFilm and its owner Disney have reportedly decided on a director for the new "Star Wars" movie, and it's J.J. Abrams.
According to The Wrap, Abrams beat out Ben Affleck for the job, for which names like Brad Bird ("Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"), Guillermo Del Toro ("Pacific Rim") and David Fincher ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") have also been mentioned.
"Star Wars: Episode VII" will be the first new film in the franchise since 2005's "Revenge of the Sith," the last of three prequels directed by series creator George Lucas.
It will also be the first since Lucas sold his company last year to Disney in a surprise deal that stunned fans everywhere, who thought that the "Star Wars" saga was finished theatrically.
If Abrams is confirmed as the director, that means he'll be jumping from one iconic sci-fi property to another: he's just finishing up "Star Trek Into Darkness," his second film in that rebooted franchise, for a May 17 release through Paramount.
Abrams and his Bad Robot company are also behind numerous genre properties on the big and small screens, including "Lost," the just-concluded "Fringe," "Revolution," "Super 8" and others.
It was just in November that Abrams was asked if he'd be interested in directing a new "Star Wars" film. Although admitting he'd been approached, he said that as a fan, the prospect was almost too intimidating for him to take on.
It's unclear if his involvement with "Star Wars" will hamper his ability to direct a third "Star Trek" film, which will presumably get underway if "Into Darkness" is as big a hit as 2009's "Star Trek."
No one at Disney or LucasFilm has officially commented on this report yet. "Star Wars - Episode VII" is tentatively scheduled to arrive in the summer of 2015.