Star Wars: Episode VII: The Nerd Rage Awakens

[cooleddie74]

Hugo Weaving and Michael Fassbender are now rumored to be up for roles in next year's Episode VII, with talk that the genre fan favorite Weaving is up for the role of an unnamed Imperial officer of the post-Palpatine era.

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. Thoughts? Facebook and other websites have been replete with posters who don't care much for the idea of fifty/sixtysomething Luke and Leia and a seventyish Han running around as action heroes in the Sequel Trilogy, with some even saying that Harrison Ford's turn as Indiana Jones in Crystal Skull demonstrated that his days as a believable action hero are behind him. Me? I want to see the classic heroes and the Skywalker Twins again, but it might be very wise to let younger characters take much more prominent roles in Episodes VIII and IX so that the Skywalker family legacy and/or the restored Jedi Order can take the spotlight to usher in a great new era in galactic history.

There's only so much that Hamill, Ford and Fisher can pull off these days without being turned into CGI cartoons whirling and spinning all over the screen.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I think it's a good idea to focus on the classic trilogy characters first and use them to introduce to next generation of heroes. As long as Luke, Han and Leia are in it they should get more of the focus initially. One last grand adventure before they run things from headquarters.

Also, Hugo Weaving would make an awesome Thrawn (I'm sure that's not who he'd play but it would be cool).

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Let the Internets catch fire. That's what they do.

I'm gonna do what all a peasant out of the loop can: wait patiently and keep an open mind. I'm just glad for the involvement of Kasdan, Hamill, Fisher, and Ford.

One thing I will say is that I have hopes that the general outline submitted by Lucas remains intact. Another is that my hopes for a good film would drop if Thrawn has anything other than the most trivial cameo.

Here's a link covering matters discussed in the OP, with an additional rumor regarding Obi-Wan. It's so tenuous that I'm almost ashamed to link to it. Almost.

 

[kirk55555]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I'd love to see Hamil, Fisher and Ford play the characters again, with no kids or already established secondary characters. The EU already did their families and the general story just fine, abrams needs to leave it alone. I hope whatever Abrams poops out is harmless enough to leave the good Star wars stuff alone. Best case scenario, they just have the old three go on an adventure, and be really nonspecific about dates or events between episodes 6 and 7. That way, we can at least see the old actors being cool, and I'm not sure if even Abrams can screw up Ford or Hamill, their performances would probably be good regardless of who wrote the script or directed. I'm not sure about Fisher, but honestly she doesn't seem like someone who'd want to come back anyway, although she apparently has done a bit of acting in recent times.

That's assuming we get the old three back. If not, and its just a story with younger actors playing the trio, there isn't much to be done, except to at least try to not be as stupid as some of the prequel stuff. In this scenario, just not having a lame comedy relief character like Jar Jar is about the best that could be hoped for. I may think Lucas is a better writer/director than abrams (and Lucas isn't very good), but even Abrams can learn a little bit from Lucas's prequel mistakes. I would honestly be surprised if we get a movie as bad as Episodes 1 or 2. More infuriating, and more damaging to the Star Wars universe? Absolutely possible/probably, but taken by itself, thinking about it honestly, it will probably not be as bad of a movie as the first two prequels, regardless of what it does to the franchise.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

From the article:

Abrams is eager to have the original characters in the lead roles and introduce a new generation in supporting roles.

The new plan will see the offspring of Skywalker, Solo and Leia introduced in 'Star Wars: Episode VII' before taking lead roles in the already announced eighth and ninth films.

Makes sense to me. The Big Three™ will definitely be the Big Draw™ in E7. A focus on them is what plenty of casual moviegoers will expect to see. To me, that's better than heavily promoting them (because they will be heavily promoted regardless), then having them only as minor roles in the film.

As unlikely as it may be, I agree that Weaving-as-Thrawn would be impressive.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

It would be great if Weaving were the equivalent of Grand Moff Tarkin for the new timeframe and post-Imperial period. As, say, commander of a former Imperial fleet bent on striking at the New Republic to deliver a deadly blow against the new galactic government headed by Leia and others. Hugo's always had the campy dramatic chops to make for a creepy, unsettling screen villain as his turn as Agent Smith in the Matrix films demonstrated.

If Thrawn appears he could be as a supporting, secondary role to Weaving. Maybe the two of them could organize an offensive and assault against the New Republic, goaded on by the forces of the Dark Side. Anything's possible seeing as we know next to nothing about the film, but since the EU isn't going to be followed like a map I imagine if characters like Thrawn do show up then their roles will be substantially different in the film canon.

All this said: Hugo Weaving as Grand Admiral Thrawn would be absolutely incredible.

 

[kirk55555]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Ugh, Abrams using thrawn would suck. I don't want them to adapt any of the EU elements. Thrawn is the best villain in the SW Universe (I like him even better than Vader, especially since what Lucas did to make Anakin such a whiny ass has kind of rubbed off on Vader's original awesomeness for me). If Abrams is going to ruin Star Wars, he should ruin it his own way. Don't drag much better people's characters through the mud. I don't want Thrawn, or for that matter I don't want Luke with Mara Jade (who is my second favorite SW character) or Han and Leia together. If old Luke is in the movie, don't have him married or find someone else to hook him up with. Have Han and Leia married to random other people. The EU is probably going to be killed by this anyway, they might as well not try to ruin the work of Timothy Zhan and all the other great Star wars writers. Abrams doesn't deserve to ruin great character like mara, or Leia/Han's family. He shjould just make his own characters to screw up. Him using EU characters or concepts would be like if JJ Trek had a scene where Nero tested out his planet destroying red goo on Bajor before destroying Vulcan, just as an FU to DS9 fans.

If Abrams is taking Star Wars down, he should at least not be a big enough ass to specifically try to ruin some of the great non Lucas creations/stories.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I know you don't like J.J. and his films, but do you really think he's going to do that bad a job with Episode VII? Lawrence Kasdan and other OT talent are involved and the film isn't being rushed to make a world premiere date that would dilute the story's quality and production values.

I've thought other directors were "meh" or "bleh" too until I gave them another chance and I found even if most of their catalog doesn't appeal to me a little or some of it does and I can enjoy what they made in those small corners of their respective careers. Try not to be so closed-minded, because if the OT heroes are taking center stage then not all is gonna be lost no matter what the finished product is like (hint: it probably won't stink).

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Thrawn is a no-win situation if he's in the film, because he'd be a source of endless debate among EU fans. He's inessential to everyone else, which is the vast majority of the audience, so why bother? There's just no reason to open up that can of worms, which is all he'd be.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I think keeping an open mind is a worthy approach, regardless. That goes for Abrams, the original cast, new cast, story, and characters - even if Thrawn were involved (which, again, is unlikely).

 

[kirk55555]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I know you don't like J.J. and his films, but do you really think he's going to do that bad a job with Episode VII? Lawrence Kasdan and other OT talent are involved and the film isn't being rushed to make a world premiere date that would dilute the story's quality and production values.

I've thought other directors were "meh" or "bleh" too until I gave them another chance and I found even if most of their catalog doesn't appeal to me a little or some of it does and I can enjoy what they made in those small corners of their respective careers. Try not to be so closed-minded, because if the OT heroes are taking center stage then not all is gonna be lost no matter what the finished product is like (hint: it probably won't stink).

Well, i have found that Christopher Nolan can direct good movies, as long as they aren't superhero movies (both Inception and Memento were very enjoyable). Still, this is Abrams with a sci fi franchise. Even without complete hacks writing it (Orci and Kurtzman are, admittedly, about as big a part in the destruction of Star Trek as Abrams ) they're going to want to make a movie in the same style of JJ Trek. Bad writing, lens flares, and horrible characters are just to be expected. He's just Michael Bay with a fixation on lensflare instead of explosions. He has no ability to do anything, except ruin every good sci fi franchise. With my luck, after SW he'll move on to a Stargate reboot (or, god forbid, a Firefly reboot).

 

[Sindatur]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

Ugh, Abrams using thrawn would suck. I don't want them to adapt any of the EU elements. Thrawn is the best villain in the SW Universe (I like him even better than Vader, especially since what Lucas did to make Anakin such a whiny ass has kind of rubbed off on Vader's original awesomeness for me). If Abrams is going to ruin Star Wars, he should ruin it his own way. Don't drag much better people's characters through the mud. I don't want Thrawn, or for that matter I don't want Luke with Mara Jade (who is my second favorite SW character) or Han and Leia together. If old Luke is in the movie, don't have him married or find someone else to hook him up with. Have Han and Leia married to random other people. The EU is probably going to be killed by this anyway, they might as well not try to ruin the work of Timothy Zhan and all the other great Star wars writers. Abrams doesn't deserve to ruin great character like mara, or Leia/Han's family. He shjould just make his own characters to screw up. Him using EU characters or concepts would be like if JJ Trek had a scene where Nero tested out his planet destroying red goo on Bajor before destroying Vulcan, just as an FU to DS9 fans.

If Abrams is taking Star Wars down, he should at least not be a big enough ass to specifically try to ruin some of the great non Lucas creations/stories.

<pictures JJ Abrams, sitting in an oversized armchair, rubbing his hands over each other, with a mischievous look on face, ala Mr. Burns from the Simpsons>

"I just can't wait to start filming, so, I can see my masterful fucking of the Franchise take shape. I hope I can fuck it worse, than I did Trek. After all, I actually LOVE Star Wars"

Seriously? Do you honestly believe he sits around thinking up ways to deliberately piss fans off or shit on them, and that he gets his Professional Jollies from that, rather than believing he actually aimed to make a good movie (And many people, Long term Hard Core fans included, think he did make Good Films for Trek)

 

[kirk55555]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I think he's out to make money. He obviously doesn't care about the franchises he's working on (outside of stuff he created, I guess). Whether intentional or not, the guy's a complete moron. Even if he didn't do JJ Trek vindictively (and parts of both movies really made me wonder), he sucks. I'm sure Michael Bay wan't trying to destory the Transformers, but he just sucks, so it happened. Same with Abrams. Even if he's not going out of his way to do it, his "ideas" and style suck, so the end result is the same as if he was actively trying to ruin the franchise. He's not here to make a good SW movie, just like he wasn't trying to make a good ST movie. He wants the Transformers money, so he appeals to the same demographic as that franchise. No characterization, the plot as an afterthought (he may not have written them, but he definately had input), mostly horrible actors, and action scenes to make the 13 years olds scream is what his ST movies did, and its what the SW movies will do. Its just a question as to whether we'll have Ford and/or hamil to bring some good acting to the movie, or if we'll have to deal with idiots like 75% of the cast of JJ Trek.

The best this movie can probably do is to just destroy the franchise without ruining its legacy too much. Don't ruin popular characters or concepts that you don't absolutely have to. Leave the EU alone, and just kill the stuff based solely on the movies. That and bring a bit of nostalgia by having the old actors. Its the end of the real Star Wars universe, and we won't even have an "alternate timeline" excuse to keep the good stuff safe.

 

[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.

 

[Saga]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

All this said: Hugo Weaving as Grand Admiral Thrawn would be absolutely incredible.

agreed.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

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.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I think keeping an open mind is a worthy approach, regardless. That goes for Abrams, the original cast, new cast, story, and characters - even if Thrawn were involved (which, again, is unlikely).

You're right. I'll rest easier, at least!

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: originally, I wanted to focus more extensively on the space battle in Return of the Jedi and less on the Ewoks and the battle on the surface. 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.

 

[JD]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

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. Even though I actually did enjoy Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Harrison Ford's role was already starting to strain believability. He's even older now, and Mark Hamil and Carrie Fisher are about the same age. And I'm thinking it probably wouldn't be that easy for people their age to get into action movie shape.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

The best this movie can probably do is to just destroy the franchise without ruining its legacy too much.

How so? Explain.

1. The movie hasn't even begun principal photography yet. They're still casting and in the middle of the pre-production process. We don't even have full, official confirmation of anybody's involvement in the film other than the few names at the top of the production and direction heap.

2. Original Trilogy stalwarts are going to be involved. Lawrence Kasdan played integral roles in making Empire and Jedi the popular, beloved modern classics that they are. J.J.'s many things, but a complete egomaniac and dictator who doesn't listen to others on his staff and is deliberately trying to sink entire franchises isn't one of them.

3. Disney, Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy aren't going to put this cherished franchise in the hands of a complete idiot who can barely direct a beer or tampon commercial. J.J. is a tried and tested factor who - whether you liked the last two movies or not - revived the Star Trek film franchise after the tanking and failure of Nemesis, a film even many die-hard, committed Trekkers didn't want to see. Abrams isn't Lucas. He's not Kershner. He's not Marquand. But he's not a chump or a putz who is going to torpedo one of the greatest franchises in the history of popular entertainment.

Again: how is he going to destroy Star Wars?

 

[Thestral]

Re: New Casting and Story Rumors re: EPISODE VII

I'm not sure how I feel about making the older generation the focus, even just in the first movie. Not that it won't be great to see the Big Three again, but I still think I'd rather see them in supporting roles (think Captain Pike, not as little as Spock Prime). I'm sure it'll be really good and they'll give the new generation a good amount of screentime, I'm just not sure switching the focus is the best idea.

I'd be down with Hugo Weaving as Thrawn, or a new villain either way.

Have Han and Leia married to random other people.

Yeah, that's gonna happen.

He's not here to make a good SW movie, just like he wasn't trying to make a good ST movie. ...mostly horrible actors...

Oh come on.