Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Wow. I really hope this is someone's very bad joke gone wrong....

 

I don't see the problem here. For years people have said that Lucas was the problem with Episodes 1-3. I think he realized it. He had a good idea that he didn't have enough sense to hand to someone better suited to bring to life. Disney, of all studios, is the one that I think has the ability to handle the next 3 episodes. The questions is if there are others after that.

 

Sure, Lucas was the problem with Episodes 1-3. But selling to Disney to try and solve the problem is like realizing you're a pyromaniac and selling your all your coal to a power plant for safekeeping.

 

How do you figure? It's not like Disney has a long history of buying existing studios or properties and running them into the ground. As a matter of fact, they have the opposite track record - see Pixar for documentation (anyone that says that they didn't cry at the end of "Finding Nemo" is either lying or a psychopath). The biggest issue is "if not George Lucas, then WHO?!" Honestly, there are more than enough fanboys running around Hollywood to solve that problem pretty fucking fast and in a way that most folks will agree is better than what Lucas would have done (admittedly, I didn't set the bar very high there).

So here's what we know for sure - there will be more Star Wars movies and they will not be written or directed by George Lucas. There are no negatives in that statement. It's not like we're about to see a " "Darth Vadar versus Buzz Lightyear" movie. We're just promised something that's not going to immediately suck because of who wrote and directed it.

 

so there was a period during which the star wars franchise didn't suck? i saw 3 of the movies and hated every minute.
george lucas didn't suck in thx 1138. i think we can conclude that star wars made him suck.
so this deal seems a perfect concantenation of things that suck, star wars and disney.

added 2. tnx Martian

 

Two things- one, will Disney release the original trilogy that doesn't feature Greedo shooting first? If so, I am SO FOR THIS!

Second, if this is true, I am in a bit of shock. I always thought it would be Lucasfilm that would gobble up the Mouse, so to speak. Can you imagine a world where George Lucas owned Disney? Just think of how different the theme parks would be:

Top Ten Ways Disneyworld/land Would Be Different if George Lucas Owned It:

10. All the little people on the "It's a Small World" ride would be replaced by Ewoks.
9. Jabba the Hutt's Wild Ride- further details too disgusting to describe.
8. Anyone not buying a Star Wars T-shirt and matching plastic lightsaber would be summarily stomped & ejected from the park by security.
7. Walt Disney's moldy, old corpse would be dragged out of cryogenic storage, stomped & ejected from the park. A little plate marked, "Reserved for George" would be placed next to the cryogenic tomb.
6. Children can have their picture taken with any of the creatures from the Tatooine cantina.
5. Tourists are encouraged to buy a hat with replicas of Lucas' ears attached to them.
4. Young women will be invited into see George personally in the Magic Kingdom and "feel the Force."
3. Frontierland will be changed to JarJarLand. Tourists can enjoy getting bumped off cliffs and pushed into rivers by their clumsy Gungan guides. ("Meesa oops, yousa ouch time!")
2. Donald will lose his job to Howard. Hilarity might ensue.

And the number 1 way Disneyworld/land would be different if George Lucas owned it would be:

1. Goofy would turn to the dark side and reveal himself to be Pluto's father!

 

I think this will be a good thing.

Disney is not just Disney. They are able to produce things that are a little darker. While Lucas Films has been bought, it doesn't mean that they will start making only Disneyfied films. Marvel was bought by Disney, I don't see Disney on their masthead and I don't see their books changing their tone.

As others have pointed out, Lucas is a hack. He is one of the most self-indulgent creators out there. If nothing else, Disney represents a possible reining in of his worst aspects. To be clear, the Star Wars film that most agree was the strongest was The Empire Strikes Back. It's no coincidence that Lucas didn't write or direct that film.

And yes, I recognize that things *could* get worse, I just don't believe they can.
--- merged: Oct 30, 2012 at 7:59 PM ---
One more thing. I just read this in one of the articles, "Our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years."

This could be a terrible thing. I am all for making more Star Wars films but easy on the volume.

(my dream is a Star Wars reboot... a reboot that approaches the Star Wars Universe the way Christopher Nolan approached Batman)

 

I liked Episodes 1-3. And I'm sure I will like 7-9.

But Lucas had to retire at some point.

 

The Star Wars universe is so massive, Disney doesn't even need to rely on characters from the first six movies for compelling stories. At this point, it might even be better to avoid any characters from the first set of movies given that a lot of them are kind of fucking lame. The force and jedi and sith don't need to be propped up with more simplistic, good vs. evil, heroic epic storylines. Give some asshole some force powers, and give him/her a reason to use them, fuck bitches, get paid, etc.

 

For the record, I didn't like when Disney bought Pixar, and I liked it far, far less when they bought Marvel. Disney is, indeed, great at making money. Their record for crass commercialism is probably unmatched on this planet. But I am less that comfortable with their record of micromanaging and other kinds of artistic interference with the projects of their directors. Granted, so far they seem to have resisted shooting themselves in the foot with Marvel, and also for the most part with Pixar (although someone with damn poor taste and a lust for product franchising greenlit the two "Cars" movies). But I am not yet confident they can continue such restraint, and even less so with a franchise like "Star Wars," that Lucas himself has already done so much to spoil, and which, if it is to be revived, needs real artistic brilliance and gifted hands in the writer and director chairs.

 

OMG! Jar Jar Binks is going to look even CUTER now!! Squeeee! Thanks Disney!!!

This is how I anticipate Disney running with all of this:

 

Disney cannot do any worse than the last three disasters unless they have Justin Bieber playing the title role of a hero jedi. If they try that then they had better give him a naaasty death onscreen.
Give someone like Seth Green or Josh Whedon control over the script and storyline.

 

I remain cautiously optimistic about all of this.

 

The only thing that could save "Star Wars 7 :The Search for More Money" is Boba Fett. Without Fett it will surely be a disaster.