Star Wars: Episode VII: The Nerd Rage Awakens

[Set Harth]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

J.J. Abrams and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan have also supposedly been retooling the script of the new film to focus more heavily on the classic Troika from the OT (Luke, Leia and Han) and less on any secondary heroes such as theoretical offspring of the previous episodes' heroes.

I guess the offspring are sort of inevitable in a way, but what tends to worry me about focusing on them is my fear that they'll be cast from our current crop of Overexposed Pretty Vapid People.

 

[sojourner]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

If we're lucky Abrams will take a cue from Lucas and have the new kids audition together so he can get a feel for who plays well off each other.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

That said, I do sincerely believe that if die-hard fans got to handle things their way, despite all their efforts, it would end up being for the franchise kinda like the Executor smashing into the Death Star II.

Case in point: I wanted a bigger space battle in Return of the Jedi. Years later, I began to appreciate that we'd already been there and done that in A New Hope. Me getting my fangasm would have come at the expense of going back to where the OT had already been. I've since come to appreciate that one of the things that Jedi has going for it is that it makes the few space battle scenes that are in there count a great deal. Plus, it got to expand the base by appealing to an audience to whom WWII reenactments in space don't really appeal.

Fans routinely want to revisit the moments when they squeed, and they have a hard time coming up with genuinely new ideas. Overloading a new film with the servicing of things past is not the way to go forward and blaze new territory, and it would cause me to cross the line into becoming concerned, is really all I meant.

I think the Clone Wars series really did a good job of evoking those "squee" moments without bloating them into the visually-mesmerizing, narratively-excessive frenzy we saw at the beginning of ROTS. I'm pretty darned sure we're going to get at least one space battle. But if it follows a tighter focus, like Clone Wars, ANH, or even ROTJ, it'll be worth seeing.

I'm kind of torn on this if it's true. On the one hand it does make sense to focus on the familiar (the big three), when starting over as a way to introduce the new (second generation), but at the same time it is going to be ridiculous to have people as old as Hamil, Ford, and Fisher are now playing action hero in a big budget blockbuster like this.

Where does it say they are playing "action hero" though? The story could absolutely focus on them without having them resort to the kind of physicality we saw from Ford in KOTCS.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

So, will these kids be kissing cousins?

 

[ManOnTheWave]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Where does it say they are playing "action hero" though? The story could absolutely focus on them without having them resort to the kind of physicality we saw from Ford in KOTCS.

It may not. However, the prequel trilogy had Christopher Lee doing back flips.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I think the tendency to concentrate on the older generation over that of newer generation of characters is probably not a good idea. They are falling into the same trap as the Expanded Universe novels.

According to the article, they're focusing on the older gen before before transitioning to the newer gen. It's not a bad strategy - but, like all things, it will depend on the manner the strategy is implemented, in how smoothly they make the transition.

That is their current plan. A plan that could easily change if Disney and Abrams instead decides to go another direction after VII like they did after pushing the previous writer out.

 

[DWF]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I think the tendency to concentrate on the older generation over that of newer generation of characters is probably not a good idea. They are falling into the same trap as the Expanded Universe novels.

According to the article, they're focusing on the older gen before before transitioning to the newer gen. It's not a bad strategy - but, like all things, it will depend on the manner the strategy is implemented, in how smoothly they make the transition.

That is their current plan. A plan that could easily change if Disney and Abrams instead decides to go another direction after VII like they did after pushing the previous writer out.

That is the new plan originally it was going to be the other way around.

 

[sidious618]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I think it's a mistake to think that Abrams has as much control over Star Wars as he does over Star Trek. It's entirely possible Disney didn't like Arndt's approach and told him to go and Abrams is just towing the line.

I find Abrams to be incredibly hit and miss, but these casting choices are extremely interesting. Michael Fassbender in Star Wars would be... well, phenomenal.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Where does it say they are playing "action hero" though? The story could absolutely focus on them without having them resort to the kind of physicality we saw from Ford in KOTCS.

It may not. However, the prequel trilogy had Christopher Lee doing back flips.

Really? You're really projecting the direction the PT took onto where these movies are going?

I'm pretty sure Disney and Abrams are keen to avoid how the PT was received (and perceived).

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

That said, I do sincerely believe that if die-hard fans got to handle things their way, despite all their efforts, it would end up being for the franchise kinda like the Executor smashing into the Death Star II.

Case in point: I wanted a bigger space battle in Return of the Jedi. Years later, I began to appreciate that we'd already been there and done that in A New Hope. Me getting my fangasm would have come at the expense of going back to where the OT had already been. I've since come to appreciate that one of the things that Jedi has going for it is that it makes the few space battle scenes that are in there count a great deal. Plus, it got to expand the base by appealing to an audience to whom WWII reenactments in space don't really appeal.

Fans routinely want to revisit the moments when they squeed, and they have a hard time coming up with genuinely new ideas. Overloading a new film with the servicing of things past is not the way to go forward and blaze new territory, and it would cause me to cross the line into becoming concerned, is really all I meant.

I think the Clone Wars series really did a good job of evoking those "squee" moments without bloating them into the visually-mesmerizing, narratively-excessive frenzy we saw at the beginning of ROTS. I'm pretty darned sure we're going to get at least one space battle. But if it follows a tighter focus, like Clone Wars, ANH, or even ROTJ, it'll be worth seeing.

Sorry, just a minor nit that needs fixing. I misspoke. I didn't mean that I wanted a bigger space battle, as in one with more ships. What I meant was that originally I wanted to focus more extensively on the space battle part of the story. Just in case my meaning wasn't clear, I'm editing my post to reflect that.

The beginning of ROTS is probably my least favorite of the three space battles. I actually enjoy it less and less each time I see it, in contrast with the battles in ANH and ROTJ. These days, I'm enjoying ROTJ's battle more and more.

Oh, and I thought that The Clone Wars was overall quite an excellent series.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

That said, I do sincerely believe that if die-hard fans got to handle things their way, despite all their efforts, it would end up being for the franchise kinda like the Executor smashing into the Death Star II.

Case in point: I wanted a bigger space battle in Return of the Jedi. Years later, I began to appreciate that we'd already been there and done that in A New Hope. Me getting my fangasm would have come at the expense of going back to where the OT had already been. I've since come to appreciate that one of the things that Jedi has going for it is that it makes the few space battle scenes that are in there count a great deal. Plus, it got to expand the base by appealing to an audience to whom WWII reenactments in space don't really appeal.

Fans routinely want to revisit the moments when they squeed, and they have a hard time coming up with genuinely new ideas. Overloading a new film with the servicing of things past is not the way to go forward and blaze new territory, and it would cause me to cross the line into becoming concerned, is really all I meant.

I think the Clone Wars series really did a good job of evoking those "squee" moments without bloating them into the visually-mesmerizing, narratively-excessive frenzy we saw at the beginning of ROTS. I'm pretty darned sure we're going to get at least one space battle. But if it follows a tighter focus, like Clone Wars, ANH, or even ROTJ, it'll be worth seeing.

Sorry, just a minor nit that needs fixing. I misspoke. I didn't mean that I wanted a bigger space battle, as in one with more ships. What I meant was that originally I wanted to focus more extensively on the space battle part of the story. Just in case my meaning wasn't clear, I'm editing my post to reflect that.

The beginning of ROTS is probably my least favorite of the three space battles. I actually enjoy it less and less each time I see it, in contrast with the battles in ANH and ROTJ. These days, I'm enjoying ROTJ's battle more and more.

Oh, and I thought that The Clone Wars was overall quite an excellent series.

Yeah, I think either way, your meaning comes through. Either as a battle with more ships and chaos, or a battle that eats up more screen time, what matters is the buildup to it and the execution of it. The more personal it is, the better. As a case-in-point, consider how much more "personal" the confrontation and lightsaber battle between Vader and Luke is in ROTJ, as opposed to the Obi-Wan and Anakin confrontation in ROTS. The ROTS battle is a better spectacle. But the one in ROTJ is better ... period.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I remember somebody in the entertainment industry once describing the Battle of Endor and the Second Death Star in ROTJ as perhaps the greatest aerial/space battle ever committed to film, greater than the original conflict over the first Death Star, anything in the Prequels or all the spacecraft battles filmed for other sci-fi/fantasy films through the decades. Part of that adoration comes from the sheer complexity of the stop-motion and bluescreen photography done to assemble a battle containing so many large capital ships, a looming, colossal battle station, Endor below and all the zipping Rebel and Imperial fighters trying to elude one another's blaster fire.

It also feels like a much more personal battle because of the focus placed on Lando and Nien Nunb in the cockpit of the Falcon and Wedge soaring alongside or behind them in his battleworn X-Wing. Lando and Wedge are characters we grew to like over the course of two or three films and now they were placed right in the middle of this enormous orbital battle with a plethora of bright explosions, streaking vessel trails and remote detonations caused by attacking ships too distant to see clearly. All of these elements combined with the raw physical effort it took to film and transfer them to celluloid to create a truly memorable and exciting conflict in the vacuum of space.

The Battle of Naboo and the Trade Federation droid control ship? The Battle of Coruscant and General Grievous' flagship? Not so much. They're fantastic eye candy, but just don't offer a personal connection or a believable sense of danger the way the Endor clash does. We know nine-year-old Anakin by the end of Episode I....but do we feel for his victory the same way we do for Lando, Nien Nunb and Wedge when they cheer and laugh, the Death Star exploding behind them as they escape at the last moment?

 

[sidious618]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Where does it say they are playing "action hero" though? The story could absolutely focus on them without having them resort to the kind of physicality we saw from Ford in KOTCS.

It may not. However, the prequel trilogy had Christopher Lee doing back flips.

Really? You're really projecting the direction the PT took onto where these movies are going?

I'm pretty sure Disney and Abrams are keen to avoid how the PT was received (and perceived).

Christopher Lee doing backflips wasn't something folks complained about. Plus, I imagine Disney hopes they'll get the Box Office return that the prequels did.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Christopher Lee doing backflips wasn't something folks complained about.

Sure it was. Ditto for Yoda's backflips. And Sidious' twirls. By 2005, there wasn't much about the PT that people didn't complain about.

Plus, I imagine Disney hopes they'll get the Box Office return that the prequels did.

Agreed. But that doesn't mean that they are looking to the PT as a "how-to" template. And I say that as someone who unabashedly enjoyed (and still enjoys) the PT.

 

[sidious618]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Well I'm with you on enjoying the PT. I thought RotS was as good as Empire and I think TPM is underrated. AotC was pretty iffy, though.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I make no bones about liking TPM more than I do AOTC. The Obi-Wan mystery hunt and the final battle on Geonosis are standouts of the second film. The effects are astonishing and Lee does a masterful job as a revered ex-Jedi fallen to the Dark Side, but the Anakin-Padmé romance scenes are so terribly wooden and uncomfortable that all by themselves they weigh down the film and the whole movie just suffers from a general lack of warm emotions to draw you in and keep you enraptured.

The bad Jar Jar slapstick and mediocre Jake Lloyd acting aside, TPM just feels more like a Star Wars movie and has warmer, more memorable moments.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Well I'm with you on enjoying the PT. I thought RotS was as good as Empire and I think TPM is underrated. AotC was pretty iffy, though.

I don't think I'd say ROTS was "as good as ESB", but I would say that ROTS is my "favorite" Star Wars film, despite its flaws. And I agree that TPM is underrated.

AOTC ... while its final reel was a HUGE crowd pleaser when I saw it during the midnight release in Times Square, sadly, the film as a whole just doesn't hold up to repeat viewings as well as the rest.

 

[sidious618]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

There was too much Jar Jar but I never minded Jake Lloyd.

I don't think I'd say ROTS was "as good as ESB", but I would say that ROTS is my "favorite" Star Wars film, despite its flaws. And I agree that TPM is underrated.

AOTC ... while its final reel was a HUGE crowd pleaser when I saw it during the midnight release in Times Square, sadly, the film as a whole just doesn't hold up to repeat viewings as well as the rest.

I definitely agree with all of this.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

In the interest of fairness, though, if we're going to point out mediocre acting in the Saga more than a few actors and actresses would be guilty as charged. Jake wasn't that great but he was an elementary school kid with little acting experience before cameras rolled on principal photography in Tunisia in 1997. In context, he probably did a better job with the child version of his character than Hayden did most of the time with the grown adult incarnation of Anakin.

And no, AOTC doesn't bear up to repeat viewings like the other episodes in the Saga. It ranks dead last on my list both in how I rank the first six films in the Saga and how often I rewatch each movie.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

ehhh while I want to see the OT actors again, I'm worried it's going to end up feeling like geek pandering with a bunch of old farts running around repeating lines from the OT in 'cute' references. You know what movie didn't need nostalgia to be amazing? Star Wars A New Hope.

I dunno maybe my expectations are too high. The whole idea that Michael Arndt and JJ Abrams had different creative visions, and JJ's "vision" won out.......... is unsettling. Especially after seeing his grasp of story and character over the years. He isn't BAD or anything but i'm a little mystified that Kathleen Kennedy thought he was some genius that needed pursuing. What??