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by **Topeka** » July 10th 2015 4:21 am

elmayimbe says Episode IX has a director and will be announced today.

by **Bandersnatch** » July 10th 2015 6:21 am

by **CoGro** » July 10th 2015 12:28 pm

Huh? Did you see Jurassic World?

That would be a nightmare choice.

Han Solo movie + CT as episode 9 director would make this SDCC the most depressing Star Wars news week of my life.

by **moviefreak732** » July 10th 2015 12:54 pm

I agree, CT is a terrible choice.

But what were any of us really expecting? Disney paid $4 billion for this franchise and they're going to milk it for all its worth. They do NOT care about the artistic integrity of the series or anything the fans have to say. As long as they keep Star Wars popular with the masses, that's all they want. That's what props up the bottom line at the end of every quarter.

That DOESN'T mean that everything Disney produces in the Star Wars universe will be shit, but they're certainly not averse to making decisions based purely on mass audience appeal. (As opposed to fan-service or artistic integrity, etc...)

Lucas was an independent filmmaker. A rich one, but an independent filmmaker nonetheless. He made movies because he had something to say.

Disney is a diversified multi-national conglomerate. They make movies to please their shareholders.

by **Evil_Elvis** » July 10th 2015 4:37 pm

Lucas used the prequels as a tech-demo for ILM rather than a story that needed to be told. He's probably a better ideas man than a director, particularly when he surrounded himself with a team of yes men who didn't challenge some of the more questionable ideas of the PT. We're still waiting for all these supposedly quirky-indie-non-commercial type films he promised after he got done with Star Wars.

The best parts of Star Wars in the last 20 years have been without direct Lucas involvement (Clone Wars, Rebels) so I'll happily welcome other people's input, just as they had years before on Empire and Jedi.

Edit- Trevorow just helmed a movie that's raked in $1.4 Bn and rising, I've not seen it to comment on it's quality. He may not be the popular choice of the fans but those Disney chiefs will sure as hell like the sound of that.

by **Joe1138** » July 10th 2015 4:47 pm

Wasn't Colin one of the names originally bandied about for the director's chair on Episode VII?

by **E_CHU_TA!** » July 10th 2015 5:51 pm

The fates of Trank and Arndt are proof that that nothing is final until it's final. For this and other reasons, don't panic.

Rouge One, Episode VII, Solo, and Episode IX will not be the death of Star Wars, Even if these projects prove to be empty "general audience" cash-in's, the franchise is much bigger than these four movies. There will always be a lot of intelligent and creative people who care deeply about Star Wars. As such, there will always be a number of opportunities for the ship to be righted.

Evil_Elvis wrote:Lucas used the prequels as a tech-demo for ILM rather than a story that needed to be told.

.....

The best parts of Star Wars in the last 20 years have been without direct Lucas involvement (Clone Wars, Rebels) so I'll happily welcome other people's input, just as they had years before on Empire and Jedi.

The prequels needed to be told (even if you didn't like the tale itself). Over the last 20 years, Lucas created some amazing Star Wars moments all on his own.

I hope that the third Anthology film is based on a concept that was pitched by Lucas.

by **Hokusai** » July 10th 2015 6:10 pm

I had to leave JWorld right after the megasaurus rex rexcaped due to my 5 yr old telling me he was "out"... so we went to inside out instead... but, I enjoyed it up to that point. Enough to make me want to go back and see the rest of it. My taste is not near as discerning as some however.

I do agree that the prequels were the equivalent of a progressive rock opus mixed with chewing gum.

by **Bandersnatch** » July 10th 2015 7:08 pm

CoGro wrote:Huh? Did you see Jurassic World?

Yes, and I thought it was cool.

I think we are again falling into "Second Coming" syndrome. It's a fucking Star Wars episode, not the sequel to The Last Temptation of Christ.

by **royalguard96** » July 12th 2015 5:53 pm

Anyone who thinks Lucas had no direct involvement in The Clone Wars must revel in his/her own ignorance.

My only hope is that TFA truly justifies its own existence. Abrams has a huge challenge to justify the continuation of a story that had the ultimate happy fairy tale ending.

by **The_Somnambulist** » August 15th 2015 2:26 pm

Trevorrow to direct Episode IX.

Makes all the sense in the world. Talented guy.

by **CoGro** » August 15th 2015 3:15 pm

You're insane. This is awful news.

by **The_Somnambulist** » August 15th 2015 3:19 pm

I've been known to lose my mind. :lol:

But what can I say? Jurassic World did it for me. It wasn't Shakespeare (are any of these franchises supposed to be?) but it had its moments.

Better than letting Gareth Edwards near the property.

by **CoGro** » August 15th 2015 3:27 pm

Already too late for that.

I would have thought this was a perfect opportunity for Brad Bird to join Star Wars. Tomorrowland was a disappointment, but Bird is without a doubt one of the best genre storytellers around. He's also a die-hard SW nerd who would have absolutely crushed Episode IX. Not to mention he's already part of the Disney family.

All I can hope for is a Trank-like meltdown from CT, but I don't think that's going to happen based on how easygoing and good-natured he appears to be.

by **Bandersnatch** » August 15th 2015 3:31 pm

CoGro wrote:You're insane. This is awful news.

Because you didn't like the one film of his you've seen? :what:

Maybe Bird (none of whose work I've yet seen) will do one of the spinoffs.

by **The_Somnambulist** » August 15th 2015 3:32 pm

I walked out of Tomorrowland after the first 45 minutes. PU.

Significantly compromised my previously held positive regard for Bird.

by **CoGro** » August 15th 2015 3:33 pm

I saw both Safety Not Guaranteed and Jurassic World.

One was cute, if forgettable the other was a train wreck. So yeah, not someone I want to helm a movie that I care about being good.

I walked out of Tomorrowland after the first 45 minutes. PU.

Significantly compromised my previously held positive regard for Bird.

Damon Lindelof has been known to destroy plenary of good scripts. Not absolving Bird, but his track record is far better than DL's.

Silly to let Tomorrowland compromise the good will for the guy who was a key player in the best years of the Simpsons, directed an animated classic in Iron Giant, another with the Incredibles, and maybe delivered the best of the Mission Impossible films.

by **Bandersnatch** » August 15th 2015 3:36 pm

So you didn't like the two films of his you've seen?

That doesn't mean he's going to fuck Star Wars in the ass.

by **CoGro** » August 15th 2015 3:39 pm

He's batting zero. If you want that guy in the bottom of the 9th with two outs against Rivera, then go nuts.

It's not just that I don't like his films, it's that I don't think he's an impressive storyteller. You can NOT like a film, but see the talent being displayed. I don't see his.

by **The_Somnambulist** » August 15th 2015 3:44 pm

CoGro wrote: Silly to let Tomorrowland compromise the good will for the guy who was a key player in the best years of the Simpsons, directed an animated classic in Iron Giant, another with the Incredibles, and maybe delivered the best of the Mission Impossible films.

It was that bad. :lol:

by **Longtime_Sunshine** » August 16th 2015 12:52 am

There was muted applause and an audible groan from where I was sitting at D23. This is the first big misstep from Disney I've seen so far.

by **Zaius** » August 16th 2015 6:49 am

The story is the star ultimately.

A good film starts with the script, CT i feel could very well be the Richard Marquand of this new
trilogy.

So long as the ethos of the saga is preserved, it should be in safe hands.

By that i'm typing about mystery,suspense and a sense of unpredictability. A notion of watching
something that's never been seen before or that defines new way of looking at things.

by **dromag** » September 2nd 2015 5:55 pm

As long as CT is kept to the directors chair and not the end all and be all of the Star Wars vision it will probably be OK.

If they let CT stamp his vision all over the franchise ala JW then its going to be painful.

by **Urthona** » January 8th 2016 6:35 am

Today fans created a petition to bring back George Lucas for the director of episode IX

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/scifi_mov ... /?a=129698

by **Bandersnatch** » January 8th 2016 7:08 am

Jesus.

by **TiniTinyTony** » January 8th 2016 1:03 pm

I think I'm preaching to the choir that having George in the director seat is a bad idea.

by **Bandersnatch** » January 8th 2016 2:46 pm

That, and why not just let the old guy enjoy his retirement?

by **Freezus** » January 9th 2016 12:17 am

You're all forgetting one thing: George was at his best when he had people starting with the Studio Executives up from 20th Century Fox down to Gary Kurtz and Marcia Lucas telling him no on most of his decisions.

Result? Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope from May 25, 1977.

I don't know, maybe George could be good again if he had Disney watching and telling him no on most of the decisions he makes. The guy's going to live a long time folks. Why not let Lucas pull out that vintage Lucas we used to love from the Original Trilogy one last time?

by **KyleKartanMG** » January 9th 2016 9:58 am

Only problem is: he was never bad...

by **Freezus** » January 9th 2016 3:35 pm

I know, but you have to see it from the perspective of Disney executives... They don't want Prequel-era Lucas with out of control budgets, overuse of CGI and shitty writing. They'd rather have the Lucas from the OT era.

In Hollywood, money talks and they know they don't want another Prequel-type backlash. That's why they won't let Lucas have complete control all over again.

by **royalguard96** » January 10th 2016 3:56 pm

Freezus wrote:I know, but you have to see it from the perspective of Disney executives... They don't want Prequel-era Lucas with out of control budgets, overuse of CGI and shitty writing. They'd rather have the Lucas from the OT era.

In Hollywood, money talks and they know they don't want another Prequel-type backlash. That's why they won't let Lucas have complete control all over again.

Sorry, there's like, everything wrong with this post.

I don't think Lucas has any desire to work at a director-like level anymore, so this whole thing is a moot point.

"Out of control budgets" is simply a factually incorrect statement. ROTS's budget was $2 million less than the budget for TPM (115-113), and when you factor in 6 years' worth of inflation inbetween those films, that's a remarkable number. The budget for TFA was $200 million. Please define "out of control budgets" for me again. Please. A fair comparison is the 2005 King Kong film, which had a budget of $207 million.

The PT had a combined budget of $343 million. TPM made $431 million in domestic rentals alone.

The Hollywood factor is a legitimate and relevant one when looking ahead. But it's also why the prequel films can't be measured by the same standard. Lucas purposely operated outside the standards and patterns of Hollywood, and the prequels were infinitely better off for it, in my opinion.

Does a general backlash exist? Yes. That doesn't mean any such backlash consists of intelligence or acceptance of ideas that originated somewhere outside your own mind. If the prequels had truly killed the Star Wars brand, as many stupidly proclaimed from 1999 on, that $4 billion check Disney wrote Lucas in 2012 would have been for far less, and we wouldn't have TFA and future films to enjoy.

by **CoGro** » June 18th 2017 11:22 am

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_of_henry

There's still time to replace this hack.

by **Bandersnatch** » June 19th 2017 6:11 am

CoGro wrote:https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_book_of_henry

There's still time to replace this hack.

Have you seen The Book of Henry? Does it suck?

by **E_CHU_TA!** » August 1st 2017 9:29 pm

Yes, CoGro; there is time: 'Star Wars: Episode IX' Gets a New Writer

Why didn't Disney simply lock-in Johnson for a couple films? I get that Abrams was one and done no matter what. But if VIII delivers, the studio would have a steady course with Johnson.

Triogly via two separate auteurs can be tricky. Trilogy via three seems unnecessarily convoluted and risky.

by **Bandersnatch** » August 3rd 2017 6:12 am

Jack Thorne is an interesting choice.
http://www.empireonline.com/movies/star ... pisode-ix/

E_CHU_TA! wrote:Yes, CoGroTrilogy via three seems unnecessarily convoluted and risky.

Don't forget, the original Star Wars trilogy had three directors.

by **E_CHU_TA!** » August 3rd 2017 5:34 pm

It wasn't by design. Kershner was asked to direct ROTJ, but declined. Plus, there was continuity through Lucas and Kasdan.

With the ST, Disney appears to be letting three separate directors do whatever they want. There's high-level oversight by Kennedy and suggestions by the story group. But, that's it.

by **Bandersnatch** » August 4th 2017 6:27 am

E_CHU_TA! wrote:There's high-level oversight by Kennedy and suggestions by the story group. But, that's it.

That's kind of a lot.

And why shouldn't Star Wars enter a new phase of creativity?

by **RogueOne1216** » August 4th 2017 3:35 pm

Because a certain pact of people don't like new things, which is why the SW Prequels were bashed for not being what the fans wanted.

by **CoGro** » August 7th 2017 10:33 pm

Bandersnatch: recently saw most of Book of Henry. I'm not going to beat a dead horse, because what's the point.

I'm pretty certain someone, maybe Rian Johnson if the reaction to 8 is amazing, is going to ghost direct Episode 9. They can't suffer another PR problem by publicly ousting CT because they hired him too quickly before realizing he's a hack. CT would play ball like Gareth Edwards did. I'm fairly certain Tony Gilroy is responsible for at least 35-40% of Rogue One's finished product.

In my opinion this is a far, far bigger problem than Han Solo.

by **The_Somnambulist** » September 5th 2017 5:01 pm

Well, Trevorrow is out.

by **CoGro** » September 5th 2017 5:13 pm

Fucking knew this would happen. Incredible news.

by **Topeka** » September 5th 2017 5:21 pm

Fuck yeah. :metal:

by **royalguard96** » September 5th 2017 6:02 pm

I immediately thought of CoGro and knew no one on the planet would be as happy to hear this news as he would be.

by **Max Rebo** » September 5th 2017 6:49 pm

incredible

I mean I'm not sad because jurassic world was so dumb, but beyond the current case (until the next) what the hell is going on with how lucasfilm is handled, how are they hiring people and getting to so many implosions, it looks like a total mess... somewhat fascist too

is it disney, is it KK... well probably both, but I'm just thinking I have yet to hear her say a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g smart.... never, ever a hint of subtlety, it has always been PR shallow crap, and yet she has her track record, so far TFA is decent and Rogue One I think really f*** great. Overall though there is this feel they are making their stuff up as they go with a flagrant lack of discipline, especially the whole ST... Do- they- even know who is and what's the point at all with Snoke and other stuff like that? Can't even say for sure..... if 8 isn't really good I think this trilogy will prove mediocre

by **The_Somnambulist** » September 5th 2017 7:37 pm

Bring in the Filoni and let's end this right.

by **E_CHU_TA!** » September 5th 2017 8:16 pm

I suspect that Filoni is busy crafting the next animated series, which bridges ROTJ to the ST. If Filoni is given a live-action feature, he should be allowed to craft his own characters and story line.

Max Rebo wrote:Overall though there is this feel they are making their stuff up as they go with a flagrant lack of discipline, especially the whole ST...

After spending $4+ billion on Star Wars, I assumed that Disney would devise a steady blueprint for quality movies. For their money, Lucas gave them a outline.

I guess flying blind shows some level of guts.

If VIII delivers, it should be Johnson's job to turn down. However, he may be burnt out by the process (like Kershner).

by **Freezus** » September 5th 2017 9:24 pm

To be honest flying blind gave us TFA which was less than stellar given the fact that It's nearly a remake of ANH. Flying blind never works for anyone. Just ask Lucas and Ardnt. They together handed in a first draft and Kasdan had to be brought in late in production to redo the script. Look what happened. Lucas knew he needed to be prepared for Episode 7. Too bad Disney didn't understand at the time.

Why don't Disney just give Lucas the job? Lucas + Studio oversight = Lucas is a better director. Just look at ANH. If it wasn't for oversight, ANH would have been pure horseshit in 1977.

Lucas + no studio oversight = the prequels.

Just give Lucas a swan song movie.. Make it be like what Fox did during the production of ANH. Give him a timeline to finish IX and Disney can still have final say over the script (that includes no Yippies! No alien stepping in Bantha shit) And it will turn out to be Lucas' greatest finale.

by **RogueOne1216** » September 5th 2017 10:49 pm

Apparently, Rian Johnson is the front runner to direct Episode IX: http://deadline.com/2017/09/rian-johnso ... 202162109/

by **CoGro** » September 5th 2017 11:25 pm

royalguard96 wrote:I immediately thought of CoGro and knew no one on the planet would be as happy to hear this news as he would be.

Damn right. While the world debates what's going wrong in Lucasland, I'm celebrating like my team won the Super Bowl. This is my Star Wars Christmas.

by **Freezus** » September 6th 2017 1:07 am

CoGro wrote:
royalguard96 wrote:I immediately thought of CoGro and knew no one on the planet would be as happy to hear this news as he would be.

Damn right. While the world debates what's going wrong in Lucasland, I'm celebrating like my team won the Super Bowl. This is my Star Wars Christmas.

Be careful what you ask, because your Star Wars Christmas may become MY Star Wars Christmas once Rey's parentage is revealed and you'll be like, "Oh motherfucker."

Seriously, it's going to be a Star Wars Christmas for me because TLJ is going to be on my Birthday weekend (Dec 15-17 weekend.)

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