Tag: rumors

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Has Colin Trevorrow all but confessed he’s directing Episode VII? Turns out, not so much

With internet favorite Brad Bird officially out of the picture (sigh,) is Colin Trevorrow going to be the man to direct Episode VII? And has he already confirmed it in all but name?

Film School Rejects reports some interesting comments that Trevorrow made during an interview posted in June.

“I can’t speak with any specificity as to what the next thing will be. There are amazing opportunities that have arisen as a result of this. One of them, I will say, will probably create a good deal of ire against me on the Internet when people find out what it is. So, I just want to say in advance that I promise you, for all those who love the mythology that I will be tackling, trust that I love it as much as you do. And I will respect it, and hopefully make it not suck.”

Obviously, this could be pretty much any established franchise – even things like Twilight get the ‘mythology’ buzzword these days. But, as I said the first time Trevorrow’s name came up, a lesser-known director would fit with Lucas’ previous director choices, so it’s hard to discount him as a possible contender. At least until one checks Twitter…

Well then. The longer this goes on, the more sure I am that none of us has any idea who’ll get the job.

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Carrie Fisher in Episode VII? Just kidding, rep says

TheForce.Net has a report from a reader who claims that at a book signing, Carrie Fisher said she is indeed going to be in Episode VII.

..The interview she did started with the question ‘Are you really going to be in a new star wars movie?’ and Carrie answered quietly ‘Yes….I thought it was already common knowledge.’

…Or was she joking? E’s Leslie Gornstein contacted Fisher’s rep, who had this to say:

“She hasn’t confirmed anything,” a rep told me this morning. “Everything you’ve seen has been tongue-in-cheek.”

Of course, there’s still a pretty good chance that Fisher – along with Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams, who was victimized by TMZ today – may indeed show up in the films, as cameos or otherwise. Certainly it’s going to be one of the first questions Lucasfilm, Disney and the actors themselves will continue to be pestered with until they confirm one way or another.

As always, remember, nothing is confirmed until we hear it authorized from Disney or Lucasfilm themselves… Particularly when it’s hearsay!

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Report: Is Lucasfilm Animation working on a feature film?

A CJ reader attending a Lucasfilm university recruiting event in October noticed something curious. During the Lucasfilm Animation portion of the presentation, University Relations Manager Anita Stokes said that in addition to The Clone Wars and Detours, “Lucasfilm Animation is also working on a feature film.” Our reader says it was heavily implied that this was a Clone Wars movie.

I have my skeptic hat on, even with yesterday’s report/very possible misquote of “two or three films a year.” With 3-D re-releases of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith late next year, plus the original trilogy to (presumably) spread out through 2014 before the new films in 2015, it seems like Lucasfilm is quickly approaching a Star Wars saturation point in theaters. I could certainly see a full-length Clone Wars movie for TV – to launch the show on Disney XD, perhaps? – but ‘feature’ implies otherwise.

Of course, this mystery feature could also very well be the fairy project or, if the Disney deal scuttled that, something else entirely. Or maybe brand-new Star Wars to aim for the Episode VII-VIII gap – perhaps related to the new films? A launching pad for another animated series, even? Time will tell…

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Report: Kennedy tells Lucasfilm employees they plan to make “two or three films a year”

The Star Wars issue of Entertainment Weekly isn’t out yet, but apparently Kotaku got an early peek at it – and they’re reporting that Kathleen Kennedy says that Lucasfilm wants to make “two or three films a year.”

The full quote appears in the comments, from Luke Plunkett:

Lucasfilm’s co-chairman and soon-to-be president, Kathleen Kennedy, has told employees she wants the company to produce two or three films a year (it’s averaged fewer than four per decade), and first up is Star Wars: Episode VII for 2015, which will pick up sometime after Darth Vader gave his life to overthrow (figuratively and literally) the Emperor and save Luke in 1983’s Episode VI— Return of the Jedi. Yes, the plan is to return to the characters in the first trilogy (1977–83). Whether the original actors will have significant roles or merely be on hand to pass the baton to a new generation of actors—something Lucasfilm tried with mixed success with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Disney with TRON: Legacy—is unclear.

Two or three? Well, we can probably assume we’ll get three in 2014 – the 3-D re-releases of the original trilogy. But somehow, I doubt that’s what she’s talking about… Disney seems mostly focused on Star Wars, but that’s… A lot of Star Wars. (Market saturation much?) If they are all Star Wars, anyway.

… Or this could all be a misquote of the original thing we heard about one movie every 2 to 3 years. Personally, that’s what I’m hoping for.

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Speculation: Could Brenda Chapman be involved in Episode VII?

Lucasfilm hired Brenda Chapman – who was the writer and original director for Brave at Pixar- in August. Reports were that she was consulting on a ‘mystery project’ for Lucasfilm Animation…. But in the wake of the Disney sale and sequel trilogy announcements? Bleeding Cool notes some of her recent tweets – including a link to a Time story on Episode VII. Could she be involved with the new films somehow? ” We will just have to wait and see what happens,” she tweeted to one such inquiry.

Of course, it’s worth noting that all of Chapman’s credits are in animation – she directed Dreamwork’s The Prince of Egypt – and Episode VII already has a writer. But ‘consultant’ does cover a lot of ground, and the timing is pretty curious…

And yes, this is pure, unbridled speculation – even Bleeding Cool admits she might really be working on that fairy musical we’ve barely heard about, or something else entirely. Still, an interesting prospect.

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Who could direct Episode VII? No word yet, but lots of possible candidates

Now that we have a writer for Episode VII, our next likely announcement will be the director – and there are lots of possible candidates floating around. So let’s thank Empire for creating a handy chart of who’s ruled themselves out, who’s dancing around the possibility, and a whole lot of wild cards. (via)

Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas talked about some of what they’re looking for in a director in a video released last week.

Meanwhile, Indiana Jones producer Frank Marshall, Kennedy’s husband, says that they’ve narrowed it down to “a couple of candidates.”

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Crazy-ass Episode VII rumor du jour: Darth Vader returns, and Obi-Wan killed your father

‘Industry insiders’ tell Express.co.uk that Darth Vader will be returning in Episode VII.

“He’s an integral part of the franchise. Replacing him is virtually impossible,” explains a film mole.

“The plan is for him to return and play a significant role in the new films.”

Lest we forget, Darth Vader died – as Anakin Skywalker – in Episode VI, Return of the Jedi. And I’m sure this can be fanwanked to hell and back – flashback? Zombie? Reincarnation? – but for now, let’s just remember that sometimes a rumor is just a rumor.

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Report: Toy Story 3’s Michael Arndt has written a treatment for Episode VII

UPDATE: StarWars.com confirms that Michael Arndt will indeed be writing the Episode VII screenplay.

Vulture’s Claude Brodesser-Akner reports today that “informed sources” say that Michael Arndt has “written a 40- to 50-page treatment” for Episode VII.

Their sources also tell them that the studio higher-ups want to bring back the older Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, with “high ambitions” to sign Mark Hamill at least.

Arndt, who won the original screenplay Oscar in 2007 for Little Miss Sunshine, has used the original Star Wars screenplay in lectures to writers; Brodesser-Akner dubs him a “Star Wars expert.”

Arndt’s treatment will “cross the desks” of big name directors that include Brad Bird, Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams, Brodesser-Akner writes.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter has their own sources which corroborate the Vulture report.

Is he the man for Lucasfilm and Disney? Well, for all we know he could just be one of several writing such treatments, but he has the connections, the passion, and, as we learned in Toy Story 3, the ability to make grownups bawl like babies.

Arndt scripts currently in pre-production include The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside the Mind.

In other Episode VII ‘news’ that may sooth your mind, Sucker Punch’s Zack Snyder doesn’t seem interested. Phew.

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Rumor: Safety Not Guaranteed‘s Colin Trevorrow on shortlist to direct Episode VII?

The director of sci-fi indie Safety Not Guaranteed has had “early discussions” with George Lucas and Lucasfilm to direct Episode VII, Celebuz reports.

“Trevorrow met Lucas several months ago to talk about the project,” they write. They can “confirm that Trevorrow is indeed on the list of potential names that could shepherd a new trilogy of films.”

I hesitate to call Trevorrow unknown – at least in comparison to some of the names we’ve had thrown around thus far – but this is the first I’ve heard of him. However, a lesser-known director would fit with Lucas’s MO in the past. But remember, while it’s completely plausible that he may have met with Lucas and be on the shortlist, this is still a rumor!

UPDATE: Well, sort of. Indiewire got hold of Trevorrow for a thrilling “No Comment.” Well, if you were (supposedly) on the shortlist, wouldn’t you?

As for one of our other rumored director candidates, Matthew Vaughn, writer Mark Millar says that he dropped out of the X-Men: First Class sequel to work on the movie adaption of the comic Secret Service.

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Report: Harrison Ford “open to” and “upbeat” about returning as Han Solo?

Entertainment Weekly’s Geoff Boucher has a ‘highly placed source’ claiming that “Harrison is open to the idea of doing the movie and he’s upbeat about it…” But he also theorizes – on the force of Ford’s history with the role – that he may require a ‘a mandatory death scene’ for the character.

Ford hasn’t been particularly enthusiastic about Solo in recent years (Boucher runs through the quotes) but there are a few things – like Kathleen Kennedy – that might lure Ford back as well. Either way, I’m not sure we can expect to see anything on the record from Ford until he’s promoting his next movie!