Star Wars: Episode VII script to be polished

Star Wars: Episode VII will be penned by none other than director J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan. The duo is taking over for Michael Arndt and will be polishing the script so they can make the Spring 2014 date for production.
Kasdan has previous Lucasfilm writing credits including Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. He also has previous credits with J.J. Abrams including Super 8, Mission: Impossible III, Fringe, and Lost.

This isn't a really surprising move, in my opinion. I expected Abrams to take over the script at some point. I am looking at the bright side on this right now... at least they didn't bring in Damon Lindelof.

Star Wars: Episode VII aiming for Christmas 2015 release

I called it.

We still don't have a completed script or any official casting information, but we do have word that Star Wars: Episode VII is looking at a production start in January 21, 2014 with a late, Christmas release in 2015. That is quite sometime after the initial reports of a summer 2015 release. That is closer to 2016 than we thought.

It was previously rumored that Disney was looking at a December release date for Episode VII, which I personally thought made sense, and this new information supports that. If they wanted a summer release date and have it be as good as it could be the film would have started production this year and not waited until January. Hell, The Avengers: Age of Ultron has and has had more wheels turning than Star Wars does which makes sense seeing that its release date is May 2015.

Like I said in a previous post, a release in late 2015 would put Star Wars in competition (to some degree) with:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Finding Dory
Kung Fu Panda 3
Inferno
Ant-Man
Bond 24

Some movies that still don't have official release dates but are aiming for 2015 are:

Avatar 2
Jurassic Park 4
Prometheus 2
Snow White and the Huntsman 2
Ratchet & Clank
Mission Impossible 5
Pitch Perfect 2


I don't know if I would necessarily bet for a Christmas day release for Episode VII, but I think anytime in December is most likely at this point. The only other option is to try and squeeze it in by Thanksgiving and put it in direct competition with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 and Finding Dory.

Star Wars Celebration moving to Anaheim

With the Star Wars Celebration wrapping up in Germany we learned many things. I previously posted (link) about Kathleen Kennedy vowing to stick with a good mix of practical effects and CGI and we can rest assured that J.J. Abrams isn't leaving Star Wars. We also learned the location and dates of the next Star Wars Celebration.

Yes indeed, the next Celebration will take place in Anaheim, CA at the Anaheim Convention Center from April 16-19, 2015. As you may have noticed, this was chosen specifically to coincide with the Summer 2015 release of Star Wars: Episode VII.
Another reason could be, but isn't confirmed yet, is possibly to lineup with the announcement and/or opening of a Star Wars themed land or park at Disneyland in Anaheim. That is due to the fact that the Anaheim Convention Center is approximately a 5min walk from Disneyland. It has been rumored for a while now but the likelihood of this happening shot sky high after Disney purchased Lucasfilm and announced Episode VII. The rumors as of right now are Disney will be announcing either the conversion of Tomorrowland to Star Wars land or opening a third gate park specifically dedicated to Star Wars and other franchises such as Avatar and Marvel (The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, etc.). Said announcement(s) are apparently going down at the D23 Expo in a couple weeks. 

Either way... I just might have to save up and kill two birds with one stone in 2015 and head to Anaheim.

Star Wars Episode VII to utilize practical effects

Executive Producer Kathleen Kennedy is starting to speak out about Star Wars: Episode VII due to the Star Wars Celebration in Germany this weekend. She stated that as of right now she is splitting her time between Lucasfilm and Bad Robot to meet with J.J. Abrams and the writers citing that all they are focusing right now is the story and the characters. Kennedy believes if you don't spend the time to create a good story and great characters any effects you use will be useless.

On the subject of special effects, Kennedy responded to the question of how much CGI will be used in Episode VII. Episodes I-III had a ridiculous amount of CG effects to the point that it distracted from the story. Kennedy has worked on several cutting edge and culturally defining films like Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and ET and understands the ways technology can be used. However, she also understands the balance that exists between CGI and practical effects. She stated,

"It's a conversation we're having all the time in the development of Episode VII. Looking at all the Star Wars movies and getting a feel for what even some of the early films did, combining real locations and special effects – that's something we're looking very seriously at. So we're going to find some very cool locations that we're going to use in support of Episode VII and I think we're probably going to end up using every single tool in the toolbox to create the look of these movies."

That statement apparently resulted in an uproar of applause and approval from the fans in attendance. In addition to that statement, Kennedy promised they will be using model makers to create real droids and use real artwork to be combined with tasteful CG effects.


I'm still not 100% on board with this whole Episode VII thing, but reading this made me extremely happy. It would be nice to see something that is tasteful and not just a CGI, green screen crapshoot that George Lucas gave us for three movies.

Source via IGN

#StarWars #EpisodeVII

John Williams to score Star Wars: Episode VII

After some speculation and rumors, we now have confirmation that composer John Williams will return to the Star Wars franchise to score Episode VII. This shows J.J. Abrams making a bold move as he is breaking apart from his frequent composer Michael Giacchino who has scored all of Abrams' previous films.

Williams scored all six of the previous Star Wars films and has made some of the most iconic and memorable music in recent film history including scores for Jurassic Park, Superman, Indiana Jones, and the Harry Potter franchise. His return to Star Wars, at the age of 81, is a pretty big deal.

Good to have you back, Mr. Williams!

[Updated] J.J. Abrams dropping out of Star Wars Episode VII?

According to the internet there are various sources suggesting J.J. Abrams is close to dropping out of Star Wars: Episode VII.

You may be aware that it was recently announced filming would begin soon as the production has already moved to London, England to make the 2015 release. A move that Abrams protested severely, but in the end he was overruled by the studio. According to sources the location isn't the only disagreement Abrams has had with the studio.
It is suggested that if Abrams is truly dropping out of the director's chair it will become apparent at the upcoming Star Wars Celebration held in Germany from July 26th to the 28th. Either that or if there is no mention of Episode VII whatsoever.

This all comes after news that new writers are being sought after in for the third Star Trek film. Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class) are reportedly close to a done deal to write the third Star Trek and many feel this is also leading toward Abrams committing to direct the third installment. That is if he leaves Disney high and dry and drops out of Episode VII. Not to mention Miller and Stentz are part of Abrams' Bad Robot family, so if he is considering it the move back to Star Trek is very likely. This has to move fast if Star Trek 3 is going to make the 2016 release date Paramount wants so they can use the film as promotion for Star Trek's 50th anniversary.

You might have asked the same question I did... how can J.J. Abrams realistically direct both projects? As of right now there really is no answer to that. It is likely that Abrams will have to pass on one of them. However, if he chooses to leave Episode VII that doesn't necessarily mean he will automatically choose to direct Star Trek. He is a pretty in-demand guy right now so I'm sure he has plenty of potential projects to choose from.
I will definitely be watching this one closely. I wasn't too psyched they chose Abrams for Episode VII, but I'm sure I could tolerate what he would produce. If he drops out and they try to fast track a director to still make the 2015 release, which I'm sure they would, I fear who they would choose. I highly doubt they can do any better than J.J. Abrams with the available choices.


[UPDATE] Apparently this is just what it started as. It's a rumor. A rep for Lucasfilm stated there is no truth to the rumor and that Abrams is looking forward to production. Whether that was just them trying to do some damage control to diffuse the rumor before it gets too big remains to be seen.

#StarWars #EpisodeVII #JJAbrams