Thoughts? Rants? Feelings? Fears? Post ’em here (but please read Rules of the House and abide, thx).
- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Thoughts? Rants? Feelings? Fears? Post ’em here (but please read Rules of the House and abide, thx).
starwarsprequelappreciationsociety.wordpress.com 
October 30, 2012 at 5:03 pm |
This great, GREAT news! This insures Star Wars endures into the 21st century. With a global media entity behind him, Lucas can do things with Star Wars that couldn’t be done before. I suspect that with a ’15 release date they must have been in preproduction on a new episode since the beginning of the Clone Wars series. I think James Cameron is having a stiff drink tonight.
October 30, 2012 at 5:09 pm |
Good idea, but potently bad. I just hope it doesn’t mess up with the EU, and i’m expecting nods to the prequels every 5 minutes or so.
They made avengers didn’t they? And that turned out great!
Also it looks like the first set of movies have a new name, called “The Skywalker Saga” there’s a video on star wars’ you tube that was put up today, labeled that. So who knows, maybe it’s not about the skywalkers?
Maybe they could add some imperial knights in……
October 30, 2012 at 5:11 pm |
oh, and who knows, maybe Lucas will finally get the respect he deserves. Overall, I think it’s a great idea to pass on star wars to the next generation!
October 30, 2012 at 5:09 pm |
Crossing fingers, feeling the Force, and hoping for some more awesome.
October 30, 2012 at 5:28 pm |
Lucas won’t be directing, only consulting, which seems the best possible position for him right now (by this point he’s a business man through and through, so leaving the bulk of the creative stuff to someone else is a very wise move).
If they manage to find someone really talented to sit in the director’s chair, this has the potential to be really excellent.
October 30, 2012 at 6:08 pm |
The first emotion that is coursing through my veins right now is sheer terror. Many, many, many things could potentially go horribly wrong. One scenario that popped into my head is that the prequels are sort of shoved into a little corner while Disney & Co. make 7-9 either the “real second half of the saga” or a “reboot.” This will likely shatter the fandom further, even IF the films are excellent. And whose definition of “excellent” will the writers/directors strive to achieve. I would hate to see a “Dark Knight” serious style so-called “realistic film” and I would equally hate to see a Star Wars Superhero style film that disregards story in favor of action.
The Saga was ONE STORY told over 6 films. Will these new films strive to create an equally exciting unified story, or will they be random sequels pumped out every 2 to 3 years just to “satisfy the masses” and rake in the dough? Also, I seriously hope they do NOT recast Han, Luke, and Leia. And overriding the hundreds of novels/comics would be a HUGE negative as well. Perhaps they could incorporate bits of post-ROTJ EU? These new films seem to lack a UNIFIED vision, which was probably the best thing about the Star Wars Saga. One man’s vision made Star Wars special and set it apart from average blockbuster fare.
Time will tell, but the ONLY silver lining I see in this is that Lucas will be “Creative Consultant” and his story drafts will be used in the brainstorming process. Hopefully George can prevent this from becoming a disaster, he is truly our only hope.
Hrrmm..now we know why Lucasfilm is speeding up those theatrical re-releases! A new film is on its way in 2015! “I have a bad feeling about this.” But I still have faith in Lucas himself.
October 30, 2012 at 6:46 pm |
I’ll start off with my fears–no more Twentieth Century Fox Fanfare, John Williams is no spring chicken at age 80, GL won’t have final say, and as if worrying about Half-Fans/Hateboys wasn’t bad enough, we’ll inevitably have “One-Third-Fans” to deal with! 😛
But overall, this is unreal to me, in a mostly good and exciting way. This quote from Disney’s CEO Bob Iger is pretty calming, saying that the deal included “an extensive and detailed treatment for the next three [StarWars] movies.”…presumably Lucas-authored. And, like Peace Train mentioned, GL will be the “Creative Consultant”, and will hopefully prevent things from getting too fanboy. The idea of reliving all that speculation and build-up makes me really happy, too.
Was poor Rick McCallum part of the deal…?
October 31, 2012 at 1:11 am |
A Star Wars movie without George Lucas/John Williams is one of my greatest fears. T_T Lucas will be involved in some ways, thankfully, but I hope they can get Williams to work on them somehow, even though that probably won’t be the case.
If they HAVE to go with someone else for the score, the best I can think of is Michael Giacchino. He can sound a lot like John Williams when he tries (while remaining Giacchino through and through) and he’s had previous experience working on SW and with John Williams.
The complete score for LOST, along with SW, remains one of my favorites of all time.
October 31, 2012 at 6:33 am
But, Kitster is My God, will Kitster be in the new films? That’s the real question. And interesting composer choice.
October 31, 2012 at 11:25 am
Ooh, I LOVE Giacchino’s work on the Lost World video game. It’s one of my favorites.
October 30, 2012 at 7:29 pm |
this has me very unnerved as well. i don’t know what to think, because this could be either a good thing or a bad thing…
please see my journal:
October 30, 2012 at 8:35 pm |
I’ll have a post on what I think in the coming day or so. I’m still too much in shock.
October 30, 2012 at 9:01 pm |
Posting this from my phone because I can’t get to a computer.
Disney buying it doesn’t bother me as much as attempting to make VII-IX. First off, Jedi was supposed to be the happy ending. The EU can do what it wants, but the saga has an ending. But, fine, if they’ve got a good story it can be okay. Except they plan to do it live action. You then have the paradox where you simply can’t recast Luke, Han, and Leia because nobody can fill the shoes (and we’re not talking about young versions here) but Mark, Harrison, and Carrie are far too old for this kind of thing
And I have the same fears of I-III getting swept under the rug. And if they really plan to release new films every couple of years then it runs the risk of being done to death and the point lost.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Disney. If any company could “get” Lucas’ Star Wars, it’s them. But reading their current gameplan here? I have a BAD feeling about this.
October 31, 2012 at 1:21 am |
They could still cast Mark, Harrison, and Carrie as the baton-passers to a new generation, much like Obi-Wan and Yoda in IV-VI. My concern there, though, would be who this new generation would be and what they are fighting against? The Empire’s mostly finished, the Republic is presumably rebuilt, the Sith are gone. What’s the threat and how will the new writers prevent that threat from either weakening the threat of the Sith/The Empire or paling in comparison to it? Will it be pockets of Imperial resistance trying to hold on to power? Will they make it so that Palpatine somehow didn’t die on the Death Star? Secret Sith apprentices? What, damn it, what?!? >_<
It's going to be a long few months/years waiting for info and hoping that everything's going to be done well. At least we know George Lucas himself provided an extensive treatment for several new movies, so that makes me a bit less concerned.
October 31, 2012 at 4:24 am
Okay, I’ve thought it over some more, and I’ve really got myself down to the bare thoughts here: http://nilbogsstorybookland.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-house-of-mouse-in-galaxy-far-far.html
It’s pretty much along the lines of what most of you are saying. They’ll have to do a LOT more to convince me that George’s vision is safe.
October 31, 2012 at 11:23 am
The fact that Lucas has provided a treatment for the films doesn’t really count for very much. If the next film is a critical and/or commercial flop, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Disney threw out his treatment to make some crowd-pleasing, Michael Bay style, Transformers-esque nonsense. All Disney care about is box office takings. They will be churning out a new Star Wars film every couple of years for the next decade or two. They don’t care about George Lucas’s vision.
Another reason I have a very bad feeling about this whole thing is that it will provide plenty more ammunition for the Lucas and prequel haters. When the next film is released, Darth Media and the haters will praise the film while slamming Lucas and the prequels mercilessly. “This is the film the prequels should have been”, and other similarly predictable phrases are what we’ll have to get used to hearing.
For starters, read the following piece which bashes Lucas and the prequels while praising Disney. There’ll be plenty more like this from the Lucas haters over the next few years.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/blogs/the-picture-palace/7888272/Why-the-Disney-Star-Wars-deal-is-exciting
October 30, 2012 at 10:23 pm |
I really don’t know what to say. The idea of new SW movies sounds intriguing. But without Lucas as the creative driving force . . . I don’t know. I guess we’ll see in another 2 1/2 years.
October 30, 2012 at 11:37 pm |
When friends asked what I thought – well, it feels a bit of a sell-out, doesn’t it? All the characters I care about will not factor into a storyline that goes beyond the death of Vader. I’ve not been much on board with the Clone Wars or even the expanded universe unless the saga I care about is part of the story. For me, it’s always been what’s in George’s mind and imagination. Has anyone seen Pablo’s post? He’s known about this for many months…all those honcho peeps at Celebration…some of them knew, too. Speaking of, guess the location of future Celebrations has found a permanent place, I’m thinking. Or is this part of the transfer, too?
Pablo’s post: “Then on June 29, 2012, I found out. I was called into a meeting to discuss, oh, something or other about updating future messaging for Lucasfilm. In order for me to get a better grasp of what that future entailed, my boss just sprang the news on me that, and I quote, “We’re making seven, eight and nine.” He didn’t say Star Wars. He didn’t have to. Why else would those numbers have any relevance?
I needed to sit down. I suspect he told me the news in precisely that way to gauge my reaction. I said something that’s unprintable here.
I picked up a small pocket-sized 160-page lined notebook. This would be my Grail Diary of the future of Star Wars. I quickly scribbled down all that had happened so far. See, I was lucky enough to have a ringside seat to the making of Episode III from 2003 to 2005. Back then, it was my job to keep an online journal of the making of that movie. Alas, that digital diary has vanished into the Internet ether, but my notes remain. So, regardless of whatever my role might be in witnessing the future of Star Wars, I wanted to continue to keep these notes, because people expect me to know the when and where of these things.
In short order, I met with some of Kathleen Kennedy’s key staffers who were now aboard with Lucasfilm. I introduced myself to her expanding story development team, and offered what insight I could given my long history with Star Wars and my deep knowledge of the saga. I’ve been fortunate to become known as one of the guys who knows Star Wars inside and out within the company. As George Lucas began preparing his treatments for future films, I’d get random requests for research from his office, and helped prepare documents, primers and writer guides for the next generation of Star Wars filmmakers, whoever they may be.
Then, just a few short days ago, the other shoe dropped when I heard about the Walt Disney Company acquiring Lucasfilm. My first thought went to that 1990 article with its seven scant paragraphs that promised new movies. When George talked about the future of Star Wars, over 20 years ago, he was at Walt Disney World. It was destiny. The will of the Force at work.
At this point, I don’t know many specifics, but boy can I speculate. It’s what Star Wars fans do best, after all. I’m just thrilled they’re happening, and that Star Wars is returning to the big screen where it belongs.”
Big screen where it belongs…..and where’s the home of the Clone Wars? I do agree it’s magnificent to see (my goodness – I went directly to AotC dialogue when I hear “magnificent” in my head – I’m on Kamino) to see SW on the big screen – but I just can’t get on board with no Lucas. Also – as you all might suspect – bashers are already “demanding” – no Jake, no Hayden with the usual condemnations. There is no fight club.
October 31, 2012 at 12:31 am |
I’ve no problem with there being more Star Wars movies, particularly if they’re based on George Lucas’s extensive notes. With George staying on (at least in the beginning) as a creative consultant (much as he is on Clone Wars), and with Kathleen Kennedy shepherding the whole thing, I’m quite confident we’re going to get movies that are respectful of George’s vision. At the same time though, they need to become their own thing. Move forward. Change and grow..
Honestly though, what excites me most about all this is that this is the strongest indicator yet that George Lucas is indeed going to return to the sort of filmmaking he started out in. The ‘experimental’ films he’s spoken of for so long now look like they might be a reality soon…
Fingers Crossed!
October 31, 2012 at 1:45 am |
I think it is interesting that Lucas himself wants to hand the Saga over to the next generation of filmmakers… That’s in a way in accordance to one of the themes of the Saga (growing up and giving your life experience to others so that they can grow).
In the next days, we’ll probably and unfortunately read a lot of “finally some SW movies GL can’t mess up” or “they’ll finally release the O-OT” and so on… but hopefully also even more comments that will give the respect to Lucas he deserves (which does not necessarily mean they have to like everything GL has done – just something respectful like “May not agree with this or that, but he’s still the maker”. That should not be that hard even for the haters.).
Apart from that… Disney may be the right place for the Saga. I just can’t imagine what the new movies will be about (I thought of SW as the Anakin and Skywalker Saga, and that story has mainly been told in the movies). We’ll see.
October 31, 2012 at 5:20 am |
I’m not excited. Weary. But trying to stay optimistic. I DO NOT want to see Han! Or Luke and Leia. The Star Wars saga has already been told. I-VI. That was the meat and potatoes. Everything out side of that is just garnish. If would have to be a whole new story with a whole new set of characters. I don’t know what to really think about it right now. This news is both exciting and sucks at the same time.
October 31, 2012 at 8:19 am |
It’s a whole mix of feelings. I’m not sure and won’t be sure until I learn more about it. The fan enthusiasm on the Internet has certainly affected me, and my own excitement at having a new Star Wars film to look forward to, something I haven’t felt since I was a kid waiting for RotS, is making me feel optimistic. However, there are several things to consider.
Will the new films be Episodes VII, VIII, and IX? In other words, is it a direct continuation of the Skywalker Saga? Or will they be an entirely new story altogether, further expanding the wonderful universe that Lucas created? I honestly don’t care much for the EU, so I wouldn’t mind the latter. If it’s a new story, however, it would be very interesting to watch, and it would raise a lot of new questions. When would it be set? How closely tied to the Skywalker Saga would it be? Who would the characters be? Would it do away with the traditional Star Wars fanfare accompanying the opening crawl (as the theme that is played in the Main Titles track eventually became Luke’s theme)? Would it even be called an “Episode”? Would all Star Wars films come with subtitles to differentiate arcs from each other (for example, “Star Wars: Skywalker Saga – Episode I: The Phantom Menace”)? Or would it be called something other than “Star Wars” entirely (highly doubtful)? This opens a realm of possibilities for potentially unlimited entries in the galaxy’s long, long history (centered around the original six films of course). In that case, however, one would worry about their quality, as you can’t have an infinite amount of great films, Star Wars or not. Still, in this case, everything’s up in the air at this point.
But somehow it seems more likely, especially given Pablo’s post, that the new films will be Episodes VII, VIII, and IX–a sequel trilogy. In that case, I’m conflicted. The thing is, Episodes I-VI told a wonderful, self-contained, continuous story arc that depicted the rise and fall of the Empire and the rise, fall, and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. From that perspective, the story works; it’s done. And while a “trilogy of trilogies”, or even 12 films, sounded like a wonderful idea in 1980 (and is still tempting even today), Lucas made the conscious choice to change that when he reworked RotJ to be the end of the saga; he rewrote Luke’s faraway sister that would have featured in the sequel trilogy as Leia, for example, and gave everyone their happy ending. He then directed the prequels in a way that supports the 6-movie arc, shifting the entire saga’s focus to Anakin’s journey rather than Luke’s, and adding the prophecy of the Chosen One to further emphasize the destruction of the Sith at the end of the saga.
Does that mean a sequel trilogy is inherently a bad idea? Of course not. I’m very excited about the prospect of any new Star Wars film to be honest (I only wish I was a decade older and had kids to take to watch them). But I still feel like the new entries have to justify their existence, not just by being good films, but also by adding to the overall story. Like I said, I’ve always found the idea of a sequel trilogy to be an intriguing one, especially considering the ideas Lucas had back before RotJ was made (the fact that Lucas has a whole treatment for the new films ready is also greatly encouraging), but that all changed when RotJ tied up all 6 films’ loose ends. Sure, the ending doesn’t negate the possibility of a follow-up the way that The Dark Knight Rises does, but it certainly feels like an ending to this story, especially after the Special Edition and the new music in the final scene. Basically, the new trilogy would have to work very hard to not feel superfluous.
Another thing to think about is the effect this will have on the prequels. If the new trilogy is indeed about Luke, one way to go about it would be to have the now-9-film saga’s focus revert back to the Original Trilogy, rather than Anakin’s story, with the prequels relegated to backstory, and the sequels introduced as an epilogue trilogy. But that’s just one of many ways it could go; however, I cannot see them maintaining the emphasis on Vader if the new trilogy is post-RotJ. More food for thought: will the new films opt to be crowd-pleasers and avoid as many connections to the prequels as possible? With Lucas as a creative consultant that may not necessarily be the case; still, I would not like to have this new trilogy undermine the prequels just for the sake of a wider audience. I hope it embraces the prequels as part of the saga, just like the OT.
A few last things to consider: what will happen to The Clone Wars? Considering it’s basically in the clutches of a competing company, I initially feared it would be cancelled after Season 5, but that’s doubtful, considering how successful it’s become. My guess is the sixth season will probably air on Disney XD, but will it find an audience there? If the ratings don’t support it, it might fall victim to early cancellation, possibly after Season 6. If that’s the case, and I certainly hope not, I hope they find the time to wrap up the story. And if it does continue, I worry about the tone, which has gotten progressively darker over the years. I hope it airing on Disney XD does not dictate that its tone be lighter, and that the show remains entirely unaffected.
In the end, as a prequel defender, I’m sworn against Star Wars cynicism, so for now I’ll remain cautiously optimistic, and potentially very excited. This is huge news, however you slice it.
October 31, 2012 at 6:51 pm |
They won’t cancel Clone Wars. If anything, CW will in all likelihood move to a Disney-owned channel.
October 31, 2012 at 12:51 pm |
I don’t know what to think, hopefully Star Wars won’t end up like the Halloween series. I am glad to hear Lucas will still have imput on the future of Star Wars.
It would be funny if they made an all Jar Jar film that would drive the hateboys nuts.
October 31, 2012 at 2:40 pm |
How much do you want to bet that the director of the next film will include a Jar Jar cameo in which Jar Jar is killed violently, thus appeasing the haters and Darth Media?
By the way, here’s a titbit from The Hollywood Reporter:
“Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that one possibility being considered is an Avengers-style movie universe with not only Lucas’ planned final trio of films but offshoot movies focusing on individual characters.”
If Disney are planning to make umpteen spin-off films, it’s clear all they care about is box office takings and milking the Star Wars cash cow dry. Say what you like about Lucas, but unlike Disney, he had a vision for Star Wars. He could have made a dozen or more Star Wars films since 1977. He didn’t; he made only six. That’s because he cared more about his vision for the saga than box office takings.
October 31, 2012 at 3:30 pm |
It is important to remind everyone that none of HIS films are going to get changes/tampered with. He would obviously never allow that and certainly he undoubtedly had a basic clause regarding that as has been said said.
For us this IS good news because:
1.) Star Wars is now PROTECTED for Lucas’s inevitable death.
2.) Star Wars is now prepared for the future after Lucas’s death.
And most importantly…
3.) There will be no more PT vs. OT mentality! Instead that is now replaced by OS (Original Saga) vs. ST (sequel trilogy and beyond)
Whatever happens now is whatever happens now. Because Lucas (or John Williams) are not involved anything SW that happens from here on out will be regarded more as EU and not “The True” “Original Saga”. The new trilogy will be regarded not much more differently than things like “The Old Republic”. Something that is largely “separate” from what is “The Original Saga” by George Lucas.
Star Wars.com is already taking this stance on the front page of the site! They have a newly edited youtube video titled “The Skywalker Saga”. The Sequel Trilogy will be “Another Saga”.
Star Wars defenders like us need to OWN THIS.
OWN IT!
Dont let them make it out to be like Lucas somehow “caved” because HE DIDN’T. All he did was protect and secure SW to be able to live on after his death.
After Walt Disney died Disney almost got broken up because he DIDN’T do what George Lucas is doing with this move.
“George Lucas’s Star Wars Saga” is complete. It has been since 2005. And it will go down in history for generation to discover and appreciate for generations to come like it already has.
Remember. Even if the hateboys are trying to spin this in their favor like they always have it doesn’t change reality. They didn’t “win” anything.
We won.
Hold your chin up and project positivity!
October 31, 2012 at 6:54 pm |
The more I think about it, you’re absolutely right. Lucas is very much a stickler for the moral rights of an artist and I doubt he would give this power to someone else without making sure his wishes are preserved. Even though there are potential downsides to a corporate-owned Star Wars, it’s better it’s taken care of now on Lucas’s terms than his kids having to sell the business after his death to anybody just to take it off their hands.
November 1, 2012 at 6:28 am |
obi-rob – you’ve made me a believer. George – the silent giant – rewrote the definition of sandbagger. (pun, I hope). And now with the news that not only did Pablo know about this in August, but Mark and Carrie were also told at CVI about the sequels. With George committing his 4 billion to philanthropy via education, those haters have to get off the “milking the saga for $$ because he’s greedy” train. It’s about time, too.
October 31, 2012 at 3:34 pm |
I just hope this doesn’t place the bulk of the post RotJ events via novels and other expanded universe media into Retroactive Continuity.
October 31, 2012 at 3:41 pm |
Well said Obi-rod. 🙂
October 31, 2012 at 11:25 pm |
For me it’s an irony because three weeks ago my newly-ardent Star Warrior friend asked me if Lucas was going to release more Star Wars films and I told her “probably not”. I wonder if she got the news. This still seems surreal to me. Surreal as scientists discovering Nessie’s body on the beach or Jimmy Hoffa being discovered alive and well in a cabin somewhere…
Whatever happens, if these films are not to my liking, I’m not going to go evolve into a loser ranting about “my childhood being raped” which when you think about it is a slap in the face to actual rape victims.
November 1, 2012 at 1:31 am |
Yesterday, as the news broke, broke again, then broke some more, I honestly thought it was a wind-up. In the end, I said, “Well, if you wake up tomorrow, and you’re still in Bizarro World, consider yourself stuck there!” Hey, guess what? 🙂 I might be the first person to slip into a parallel universe. This could be a waking dream. I might be hallucinating. No, wait. I got it. I’m Threepio with his head removed, blasting away like there’s no tomorrow. “Die, Jedi dogs!” Artoo, please rescue me. I’m having the most peculiar dream and I need immediate head-body reattachment! Artoo, where are you?! Damn.
One of my first and rather determined reactions was to post a “Star Wars/Lucasfilm RIP” message on my Facebook hours after the news hit. I was literally on IMDb when princethomas made a thread on the TPM board with a particularly crude news item/link (all of about four sentences long, no official press release). I mean, IMDb, a random thread with an outrageous declaration, even if by a trusted poster — it’s gotta be bunk, right? The news was literally just minutes old, but as soon as I Googled, I found a flurry of similar links and pages. And it didn’t take me long to find the press release. But I still couldn’t quite believe it. Oddly, I guess it fell to the good ol’ Beeb (BBC) to make it seem official. When I finally read THEIR page, it started to sink in. That’s when I made my “RIP” message to Facebook; and happened to notice that Facebook was already teeming with reactions; at least, from my fellow Star Wars geeks (and even a few non-SW folk, too). I was somewhat galvanized having read a few scraps on Facebook walls already — Paul’s, mainly — and noticing that very few people seemed to be having an adverse reaction to the news. Well, maybe they were all in shock, and I’d better lead the way…
I point all that out to mark a moment in history and to indicate that this feels very much like an actual death, following much the same emotional trajectory; at least, in my mind. It’s not every day you will read about a multi-billionaire independent filmmaker and creator of the most popular mythology of our age selling everything and the kitchen sink to a faceless mega-corporation and losing all control forever more, with the added implication that Star Wars will eventually grow from six live-action feature films, one animated, a trashy holiday special, a few chintzy Ewok spinoffs, a couple of relatively innocuous cartoon shows, and, oh, I dunno, a bazillion toys, games, comics, tie-in novels, etc., to eventually consume the Internet, the world, the solar system, the galaxy, the universe, and everything in the damn multiverse. Did they predict THAT in the standard model? And not just ANY faceless mega-corporation would initiate this cosmological consumption with no end… oh, no! It had to be the bloody Walt Disney corporation, didn’t it? Unholy purveyor of “Bambi” sequels, crappy Marvel flicks (sorry to all those that love ’em), saucer-eyed man-rodents, theme parks of questionable moral purity, and Hannah hoe-dancing Montana. Oh… and we’re making more Star Wars movies, don’t ya know? And the first one will be out in 2015, okay? BLIMEY, CHARLIE!!! The Book of Revelation needs to be rewritten. The world will not end in a ball of fire; it will simply be demolished to make way for a Disney Supergalactic Highway. Circa 2020.
Yet for all my bluster, in the cold light of day, those innocent few words I scrawled out on my computer screen, last night, well… they seem a bit rash. Star Wars and Lucasfilm are not through. They are going to go on. And yet, for both, it is still a death of a very real sort. The “sticking it to ‘the man'”, wham, bam, thank you, ma’am aspect of Lucasfilm, and that whole era of big screen innovation, at least as it exists on the scale of Star Wars, is over. And that’s one heck of a thing to try and process. The simple solution is to NOT process it (“Do or do not, there is no try”). Just leave well alone and float along on the breeze. Just do a bleedin’ Jar Jar and continue on as normal. What choice does anyone have? That is the most pernicious thing in all of this: the illusion of control. We don’t have any. Not you, me, Dave Filoni, Gary Kurtz, Dave Prowse, John Williams, Rick McCallum, bless his cotton socks, Edgar Allan runtin’ Po, Saddam Hussein, Friedrich Nietzsche, George Lucas, or even the mighty Christopher Lee (in my world, it’s kind of Christoper Lee > George Lucas > Everyone else — have I told anyone that before? SCREW IT!). No-one. No-one has control. The ultimate symbolic representation of this idea is George Lucas himself selling his saga, his company, his life’s work. He is not immune to the hands of time. He is in the twilight of his life, and soon night must fall, for that is the way of the Force, yadda yoda. And that, ultimately, should be a liberating thought, but it can often be a crushing one; especially when you’re not prepared for it and it comes at you like a bolt from the blue.
So, where do I really stand? *Is* there a place to stand? (I point out I’m at at the moment). I… dunno. Over the past 24-48 hours, since this news has obviously spread like a pack of ravenous, rabid Ewoks with pitchforks and an ineradicable bowel problem all over the cybersphere, I’ve been trying to take it in, while sounding off, and attempting, and by osmosis, apparently succeeding, at being more enthused by the idea with each passing hour. Disney now owns Star Wars. All of it. Or put another way, Star Wars is now Disney’s bitch. Obviously, this doesn’t mean Pluto is gonna be popping in and gesticulating as a Force ghost at the end of ROTJ all of a sudden, or prancing round Mos Espa, revealed to be the depositor of Jar Jar’s excremental friend: icky, icky goo. But something very much like that — merely “elsewhere, elusive” — is now at work. It isn’t cause for despair, though. Merely a reevaluation. I think Mark Hamill said it best to EW earlier today: “It’s one of those big decisions that at first seems unusual but then the more you look at it, the more it makes sense.” I’m with the Hamz. It does make a lot of sense, what Lucas did here. And you can go on and say that, really, it was inevitable. Something like this had to happen sooner or later. And better that it were sooner. Bye, bye, pre-Disney phase. Hello, post-Disney world! *represses a slight urge to throw up*
As for the precise constitution these sequels will have… that is… THE sequels…. episodes 7, 8, and 9…. oops…. better use Roman numerals and set a good example to the kiddies…. VII, VIII, and IX. Well, despite initial consternation, I have to think they’re in capable hands. Disney has Lucas’ notes, it has at least one treatment (for VII), it has Lucas staying on as consultant (and if Lucas’ controlling tendencies flare up a little, he might get even more involved — as he did during TESB and especially ROTJ), and this is the biggie that no-one has really played around with yet: the Executive Producer is Kathleen Kennedy (who has warmly described Lucas in that press video as her Yoda). Kathleen has an incredible resume and knows how to bring a quality product to the screen. She doesn’t make crap. (Some people might quibble a few of the films she has her name against, but I’d argue for a basic quality in all of ’em, pretty much). And rather interestingly, she has nurtured many of Spielberg’s films to the big screen, and Lucas and Spielberg, of course, are good film buddies. Further, it’s clear that Kathleen and George have already got to know each other’s ways under the last Indy flick, so I can only see this as a positive decision of George’s to appoint her as head of his company and the Exec Producer of the new trilogy (when this nine-film saga is finished, it will have had more producers than trilogies!). She will be key in listening to George, balancing the aims of Lucasfilm and Disney, and delivering three quality, enervating entertainments: three additions that may well be worthy of the main saga storyline, sitting comfortably with the existing six, bringing the Skywalker story to a truly satisfying close, making it even bigger and bolder than before (and setting up plenty of spin-offs and other-verse stories in the process). This is a great package deal for George, for Disney, for Star Wars, and the fans. At least where these films go, I think.
I am ready and willing to believe, then, that these new films, at the very least, have a fair chance of being good; very good. Whatever else happens is whatever else happens. It’s great that Lucas is finally making this third trilogy, after years of “will he?-won’t he?” speculation. And finally, he gets to make them the way he always desired he could: from a distance, where he can sit back and watch the creativity fly. In his own words, he’s laid the foundation, established the basic rules, and now other people are finally going to be encouraged to come play and add the pieces they will. Long-term, the core films may be drowned out, diluted six ways to the moon and back, and people may completely forget what it was once like to imagine what future form the saga would take, or marvel at the “Tragedy of Darth Vader” — for those of us who do — and how Lucas beat the Hollywood studios at their own game. Yet we can still do that in the here and now. If Star Wars is destined to change, it isn’t changing overnight. The spoils of its current state, whenever and wherever it finds itself, will always, in some sense, be the fans — theirs for the taking. Art, after all, like life, is really what you make it.
So, that’s sort of where my head is at at the moment. Tomorrow, let it all change!
November 1, 2012 at 1:40 am |
Tomorrow, let there also be fewer typos and less babble!
(Hey, if a sequel trilogy can happen, anything’s possible!).
Let Johnny also remember to add one final thing…
The philanthropy of Lucas is now stepping up a gear — revel at the awesomeness of this man:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-deal-george-lucas-will-384947
November 1, 2012 at 10:29 am |
My biggest concern is that the Sequel Trilogy may not be made while placing post-ROTJ information by way of the novels and other EU media into consideration, thus causing a lot of Retroactive Continuity.
November 2, 2012 at 7:19 pm |
I’m still reeling a bit, but I keep coming back to the comments about the “Avengers style universe” and spin-off movies, and I just want to dance among the haters talking about more movies like Caravan of Courage and The Battle for Endor. *evil grin* Funny how everyone always forgets about those early spin-off movies. They really could end up being something of a model for future projects.
I also really, really, REALLY want to pitch the “New Republic” idea I had for a post-ROTJ Clone Wars style cartoon show. Which would be the perfect way to do more stories with Luke, Leia and Han. (Hey, Mark Hamill even has an extensive voice career, so you never know…)