J.J. Abrams chosen to direct next Star Wars film

Full article here:

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/jj-abrams-set-direct-next-star-wars-film-exclusive-74596

First he rebooted the Star Trek franchise...now he's doing the same for Star Wars.

I'm sure the fanboy reactions on both sides is going to be HILARIOUS over the next couple years.

Since I've never been a fan of the Star Wars franchise (never seen a single damn one), I might actually be interested in this. Given what Abrams accomplished with the Star Trek reboot (which totally surprised me because I AM a Star Trek fanboy), I might actually care about a Star Wars reboot from him.

Interesting choice I suppose ?

More interested in who does the writing and acting than director.

Hes not doing the same to Star Wars as that would require some form of reboot, and theyve been saying that 7,8,9 are original stories....

At least "most" Abrams movies have some character development found in them.

I like the choice. He's done some good work (Star Trek and Super 8 ) so this should be interesting. I had read that Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back) was possibly writing the first of the new trilogy as well. Not sure if that one has been confirmed.

Hmmm.... not sure how I feel about that one.......

007 wrote:

I like the choice. He's done some good work (Star Trek and Super 8 ) so this should be interesting. I had read that Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back) was possibly writing the first of the new trilogy as well. Not sure if that one has been confirmed.

"Little Miss Sunshine" screenwriter Michael Arndt is penning the script.

J.J. is an excellent director and knows how to structure compelling stories featuring multiple characters (see the Lost pilot for example). I think he is a fine choice.

I still haven't seen Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot, though I do have it recorded somewhere and will get to it eventually. Till I see that I think I'll reserve judgment.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I still haven't seen Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot, though I do have it recorded somewhere and will get to it eventually. Till I see that I think I'll reserve judgment.

Did you see Super 8?

I am a fan of both series of movies, and I thought that Star Trek was fantastic. I am intrigued enough to consider watching it.

Honestly, I have about zero interest in Star Wars (only like the first 2 films), but I'm a big fan of Abrams so his involvement is enough to get my attention.

S.D. wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

I still haven't seen Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot, though I do have it recorded somewhere and will get to it eventually. Till I see that I think I'll reserve judgment.

Did you see Super 8?

Nope, not yet, but I wanna. I'm on the "waiting list" for it at the library at the moment.

Fat Freddy wrote:

S.D. wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

I still haven't seen Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot, though I do have it recorded somewhere and will get to it eventually. Till I see that I think I'll reserve judgment.

Did you see Super 8?

Nope, not yet, but I wanna. I'm on the "waiting list" for it at the library at the moment.

Both Star Trek and Super 8 are excellent films...... now that I thought about it, I think he will do a good job. Lost was excellent, Super 8 and Star Trek where great flicks. I think he's smart enough not to make the flight deck of the Falcon look like an Apple store (see bridge of Enterprise.....)

I can honestly say I've never seen any of JJ Abrams work, so I couldn't say if he's a good choice or not.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I still haven't seen Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot, though I do have it recorded somewhere and will get to it eventually. Till I see that I think I'll reserve judgment.

I just saw if for the first time this past Sunday. I've never cared for Star Trek at all, and have never understood it's mass appeal. With that being said, I thought Abrams did a superb job on it. I'm not sure why it took me so long to see the reboot, since I had heard you really didn't need to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy this movie. Also, I loved "Lost", so I knew that J.J Abrams would do a great job of directing. I'm still pissed about the show "Alcatraz" getting the ax last year.

metalinmyveins wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

I still haven't seen Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot, though I do have it recorded somewhere and will get to it eventually. Till I see that I think I'll reserve judgment.

I just saw if for the first time this past Sunday. I've never cared for Star Trek at all, and have never understood it's mass appeal. With that being said, I thought Abrams did a superb job on it. I'm not sure why it took me so long to see the reboot, since I had heard you really didn't need to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy this movie. Also, I loved "Lost", so I knew that J.J Abrams would do a great job of directing. I'm still pissed about the show "Alcatraz" getting the ax last year.

I've never been much of a "Trek" guy either, I've seen most of the previous feature films and the odd episode here and there, but that's about it.

I was curious about Abrams' new one when it first came out, I just never got around to it. I do like the idea of being able to watch a 'Star Trek' without having to know 40+ years of back story.

Fat Freddy wrote:

metalinmyveins wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

I still haven't seen Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot, though I do have it recorded somewhere and will get to it eventually. Till I see that I think I'll reserve judgment.

I just saw if for the first time this past Sunday. I've never cared for Star Trek at all, and have never understood it's mass appeal. With that being said, I thought Abrams did a superb job on it. I'm not sure why it took me so long to see the reboot, since I had heard you really didn't need to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy this movie. Also, I loved "Lost", so I knew that J.J Abrams would do a great job of directing. I'm still pissed about the show "Alcatraz" getting the ax last year.

I've never been much of a "Trek" guy either, I've seen most of the previous feature films and the odd episode here and there, but that's about it.

I was curious about Abrams' new one when it first came out, I just never got around to it. I do like the idea of being able to watch a 'Star Trek' without having to know 40+ years of back story.

I've seen some of the featured films, but they just never really grabbed me. I love causes, but the two hour long PSA message regarding whale extinction in the fourth movie, as a plot device to drive the story was a bit much. If Star Wars ever went into that direction, I would be beyond disappointed. Whether I believe in a cause or not, my reply would be, "What the hell is going on here?"

The reason why the reboot works is, the mannerisms/lingo used by the franchises core characters in this current installment is on display to please its adoring fan base, but I didn't think it was used ad nauseum. I think the catch phrases in the Star Trek franchise tend to borderline on the ridiculousness. They certainly did use those, but I felt like the writer and Abrams as a director gave them somewhat of a personality overhaul. The most noticeable was with Uhura, Kirk, Sulu, and Spock to an extent. Without giving away anything, there is a really "Smart" extended cameo plot device in the reboot. It worked really well...

Abrams basically tried to turn Star Trek into Star Wars anyway, so in that sense he's a good match for actually getting to make Star Wars.

sheets wrote:

Abrams basically tried to turn Star Trek into Star Wars anyway, so in that sense he's a good match for actually getting to make Star Wars.

I've heard other people say that but I don't see it at all. It felt like a modern Star Trek to me.

I am a huge Star Trek fan, at least of the original series, and when I went to see the movie my expections were low. The series is as much about the chemistry between the actors who played the characters, so it was hard for me imagining someone taking over those icon roles, but the movie was excellent and the cast was stellar.

Here is the full press release with some further details:

J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

“It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said Kennedy. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”

George Lucas went on to say “I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”

J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner.

Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kinberg was writer on Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year’s Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm’s preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as Felicity, Alias, Lost and Fringe.

I'm good with this. I've enjoyed Abrams' movie work, just as long as he lays off the lens-flare

Being a Star Wars fanboy I am very skeptical about this, With Disney owning Lucasfilm theres also been new talks about doing the live action tv series too. Which I feel would take the novelty of it away.

With 7 ,8,9 I am not expecting much will I go see them? Hell yeah cuz I am a Star Wars nut but I am not expecting to be Wow'd or blown away