This news spells disaster for anyone who already suffers from Star Wars/Star Trek confusion. JJ Abrams, who helmed the last two Star Trek movies, is just one tiny star system away from inking a deal with Disney and Lucasfilm to direct Star Wars Episode VII. The studio has set 2015 as the date it would like to release the first of an untold number of new Star Wars films, and with Toy Story‘s Michael Arndt already hard at work on the script, it was about time that they announce their choice for director (and end this months-long guessing game we’ve all been playing—so much for all those rumours that Mattthew Vaughn would be getting a kick at the Star Wars can, and thanks for nothing, Jason Flemyng!).
Abrams, says The Hollywood Reporter, initially expressed disinterest in the project when he was asked about it by reporters last October but it appears something (either Jedi tricks or a bunch of extra zeros added to the end of his pay cheque) has changed his mind. Maybe it was the promise that all the nerd points in the entire world would now belong to him (as one Twitter user said, “Comic-Con announced today it will be moving from San Diego to JJ Abrams’s backyard”).
So what will a JJ Abrams-helmed Star Wars look like? MTV has a few ideas. They predict a strong female lead, a score by Abrams’ close friend, composer Michael Giacchino, lens flares (okay, everyone is predicting that), and lots and lots of secrecy surrounding the details of the film. “The new Star Wars movie is going to be directed by the man who wouldn’t show you the Cloverfield and Super 8 monsters, the same man who won’t admit that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Star Trek bad guy is actually Khan,” they point out. It looks like we’ll be kept in the dark until the film hits theatres (unless, for some reason, Abrams decides to cast Vaughn’s loose-lipped pal Flemyng).
Update: Late last Friday George Lucas confirmed that Abrams will indeed direct Episode VII. Following the announcement Abrams publicly expressed his enthusiasm for the project, saying “I want to do the fans proud. I want to make sure the story is something that touches people. And we’re just getting started. I’m very excited.”
