My New Hope for Star Wars
Posted By Tommy Cash on November 9, 2012
I’ve been thinking a lot about Star Wars lately. You probably have too, given that the news hit last week that Disney bought Lucasfilm and the fact that you’re visiting a site called NerdSpan. Even non-nerds like Star Wars. I’ve had friends who I had nothing in common with other than Star Wars. This comes only three years after Disney acquired marvel, so they’re basically buying all of pop culture. With DuckTales, Star Wars, and the Marvel Universe all under one roof, that’s 5-year-old me, 14-year-old me, and current me’s favorite things, all owned by one corporation. I’m not being cynical about it right now. It feels good to think about Star Wars again, and in a way that isn’t, “Sigh. What’d George ruin today?”
Yeah, in 2015, I might be begrudgingly watching a Gore Verbinski-directed Episode VII with Johnny Depp playing Severus Skywalker. I’ve done my share of complaining about Jar Jar, midichlorians, and Hayden Panettiere, but right now, I’m optimistic. These are, after all, the same people who hired Joss Whedon to make a glorious Avengers movie and let Jason Segal revive the Muppets. Also the people making the jokes about Star Wars being “Disney-fied”with music numbers and animal sidekicks must have forgotten the Return of the Jedi: Special Edition, Ewoks, and never seen “dancing Han Solo” (Seriously. Lucas had to have signed off on that.). Let’s focus on the good here. Star Wars, beloved film franchise arguably run into the ground by a creator who didn’t understand his own movies anymore (who maybe didn’t have too much to do with anything good about his own creations) is now in other hands.
I wasn’t alone in thinking “Whedon!” as soon as I heard the news, but I really don’t want anything to distract him from making more Avengers and more Dr. Horrible and more Firefly when Netflix decides to revive that.
So, here are people I want involved in new Star Wars projects:
Joe Johnston
This one’s easy. I’m surprised I haven’t seen anyone bring this up, but while doing press for Captain America, Johnston talked about wanting to do a Boba Fett movie. At the time, that seemed pretty unrealistic, but now, Disney might eventually make solo movies, following the model of Marvel’s superhero films. If there are solo movies, Boba Fett has to be high on the list of characters to spin off.
Wes Anderson
I know, he’s never done any sci fi. But then, neither had Irvin Kershner before Empire, and that turned out. He might be better suited to a Droids movie and he might want Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller to star, but you know the soundtrack would be great.
The Wachowskis
Back in 1999, The Matrix was heralded as “the next Star Wars” by critics who hoped to get their name on the DVD box. It was kind of true, and it would be neat to see what they could do with the Star Wars universe.
Edgar Wright
I want this. He obviously loves Star Wars. He knows how to do visually exciting action. But, I’ve seen Spaced. I think Wright might have actually been hurt by the prequels more than any of us. He’d be at the top of my list if Disney ever decided to do a reboot of the prequels.
Pixar
This is the one I’m sure most people thought about as soon as they heard the news. Pixar is another reason I didn’t understand some people’s knee-jerk Disney hate. Let them do a Yoda movie or a Droids movie or at least some comedic shorts to okay before the live-action films. Pixar’s so good that they could probably do something to make me like Jar Jar. (Hmm. Could Disney do “Special Editions” of the prequels where they replace Jar Jar with Roger Rabbit? All the other characters’ reactions would still make sense.)
Brad Bird
A Pixar vet who has yet to make a movie that’s less-than-great. There’s a simplicity to his films that’d work pretty well with Star Wars (and maybe even better on an Indiana Jones movie, if that’s on the table). This one seems like a realistic choice given his relationship with Disney, but he is working on a top-secret project with writer Damon Lindelof.
Damon Lindelof
I know. I know. Lindelof’s Star Wars script would be a meditation on Destiny and Man’s relationship with the Force and we’d never find out why only some Jedi leave empty cloaks when they die, but I’d love it and probably cry at the end.
Mark Hamill/ Carrie Fisher/ Harrison Ford
We don’t know enough about what the next trilogy to know if Luke, Han, or Leia would even be involved. Chances are that Luke will be at least a minor character in at least Episode VII, but if I had to guess, I predict that we’ll get one scene of Luke standing in the Solo’s house. It’ll be the equivalent of that scene in the first Expendables movie, where Arnie, Bruce, and Sly stood around and talked for one scene just so they could put it in the trailer. I’d be happy with it.
Brian Michael Bendis
He said on an episode of Word Balloon a long time ago that he had an idea for a Star Wars story that he’d probably never get to use because Marvel didn’t currently have the rights to do Star Wars comics anymore. I sympathize with those who are fans of what Dark Horse has done with Star Wars comics, but…oh boy, oh boy. Marvel will probably do Star Wars comics again.Go ahead and make your jokes about how there’d be whole issues of the Jedi Council having meetings. Again, I’d love it. Let John Romita draw it and I’m more excited about this than anything else on the list.
https://nerdspan.com/george-lucas-parody-slwoh/
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