Star Wars Episode 7 News

Friday, June 20, 2014

Rian Johnson in Talks to Direct Star Wars: Episode 8 and Write a Treatment for Episode 9!

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According to Deadline, Looper director Rian Johnson is in talks with Lucasfilm to write and direct Star Wars: Epsidoe VIII and Episode IX. According to THR he is only directing Episode VIII and writing a treatment for Episode IX...


From Deadline:
Rarely have I seen the revival of a film franchise stir so much fervor as Star Wars, among hot young filmmakers who grew up loving George Lucas’ original film trilogy. In a bombshell move, I’m told that Lucasfilm is making a deal with Looper writer-director Rian Johnson to write and direct Star Wars Episodes VIII and IX. Essentially, that means that the intention is for Johnson to take the baton from JJ Abrams, who has gotten the space franchise off the ground and is right now helming Episode VII. I don’t know too much more at this point, but it is in keeping with Disney and Lucasfilm’s strategy of entrusting the venerable franchise to the best and brightest writers and directors, including the spinoff films that are being directed by Chronicle‘s Josh Trank and Godzilla‘s Gareth Edwards.
Johnson will take over the core film franchise, and he’ll get started quickly and this will be his preoccupation for quite awhile. Technically, he’ll write that second treatment but the intention on both sides is that he direct the two installments. Joining him as producer will be Ram Bergman. Johnson made his directing debut on the respected indie Brick, and then jumped to mainstream science fiction by writing and directing Looper, an inventive time travel thriller that starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. Bergman produced both of those films.

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It's sounds very unlikely that he'll direct both movies. Here's THR take on the scoop:
Contrary to reports that he will be directing the next two Star Wars film, Johnson will only direct Episode VIII, but he is writing a treatment for Episode IX.
Ram Bergman will produce Episode VIII.
Johnson has directed three feature films. His directorial debut, 2005's Brick, won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. He followed that up with 2008's Brothers Bloom and 2012's time-jumping, sci-fi action-drama Looper, starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Johnson, repped by CAA and Lichter, Grossman, also has directed three episodes of AMC's hit series Breaking Bad.

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And some more bits about Johnson from Vulture:
Who is Rian Johnson, why are Star Wars fans so excited about him, and what has he said about the franchise in the past? 
He's always been attracted to bigger-than-life, mythic tales like Star Wars.
"For me, it’s the stories that have gods coming down from the heavens, it’s the myths that are more interesting than a very really realistic story where nothing really happens, and it looks like what we’ve been trained to think real life is supposed to look like on the screen," he told Vulture when The Brothers Bloom came out. "I think stuff that elevates the style to the level of myth, when it does strike, strikes deeper and more profoundly and more true than anything else."
When Episode VII was first announced, many fans touted Johnson as a natural to take over the franchise, but the director himself demurred. "I don't think I'm on those sorts of lists," Johnson told Digital Spy. "On the one hand, it's Star Wars, it would be very hard to say no to. On the other hand ... I don't think it's a problem that I'll have to deal with!"
 In fact, he thought there were other people better-suited to the gigJohnson was so besotted by the trailer for role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic that he suggested that the company behind the game deserved big-screen consideration. "Would the BIOWARE guys please just make a Star Wars movie?" he tweeted back in 2010. 
Shortly after Abrams signed on to Episode VII, Playboy asked Abrams about other directors he liked, and he immediately named Johnson. "I love what he did with Looper, the scope of the movie and the emotion," said Abrams. "He has a big career ahead of him."
 In Wired's 2013 list of the "74 Things Every Star Wars Movie Needs," the magazine drafted Johnson to pen the 74th item: "Books About the Movie." In it, Johnson recalls an important book about Star Wars special effects he received for his 14th birthday, one that prompted him to dig out his Star Wars toys and start creating shorts himself. "Thanks to my treasured ILM book, the work wasn't secret," wrote Johnson. "They told us how they did it, and that changed my life."

After the news broke today that he'd be directing Episode VIII, Johnson responded with a simple tweet containing this video clip from The Right Stuff:


83 comments:

  1. First I've heard that JJ is not directing all 3. I am kind of surprised. But, I think it could be good to have that variety.

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    1. I posted this on another site too but when you think about it, it really doesn't make sense for anyone to direct all 3 because since they are not directing back to back to back, Ep VIII will probably be in late Pre- Productuction or early principle photography while Ep VII is in Post and making the rounds with the promotional campaigns. JJ will be too busy to push forward on Ep VIII in time to have it out for Christmas 2017. My fanboy dream for the Director roster for the sequel trilogy is JJ Aprams (VII), Rian Johnson (VIII), and the grand daddy of them all, Steven Spielberg for Episode IX. I would like Joe Johnston to do a spin-off, and Ben Affleck down the road between Batman films to make a Star Wars Underworld Crime drama. James Cameron would be a great spin-off director or a director for the second sequel trilogy assuming they make one.

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    2. I don't want Spielberg anywhere near Star Wars. He lost me with the last Indy.

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  2. somehow i dont think this is good news

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    1. u are right . I hope J.J. will continue in all 3 . It seems like he is doing a great job

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    2. I believe he has only ever been officially attached to direct 7. I figure J.J. will be a producer on all of them like Lucas was. I always wanted a different director for each movie anyway. Having one director for all 3 just doesn't seem right to me. For me, having different directors is in the spirit of the OT.

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    3. That's true but, as with the original Trilogy, for every startling surprise like Irvin Kershner with Empire, you get a rather disappointing, lackluster directing job like Marquand with Jedi. So this approach of having a different director for each film, particularly directors who've directed nothing even remotely similar to this type of film in the past, is likely to have great highs and great lows.

      Of course, Kasdan wrote both those scrips and, while Empire is tight, funny, and suspenseful, Jedi is kind of all over the place. So maybe keeping the same person on isn't always the best policy, especially if, like Kasdan, that person thinks he's doing Lucas a big favor by coming back. I hope he doesn't feel that way now.

      I've got a really solid feeling about Abrams right now and it actually worries that he apparently doesn't WANT to direct more than one film since I'm sure he could have signed onto the whole trilogy with no problem. That he only wants to direct one indicates that this is more of a lark for him than a passion. And that's a bit troubling.

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  3. they may announce this officially soon if this is legit

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  4. I think it is great news that JJ isn't direct all 3. It means we get a fresh take for all 3, just like the original trilogy. I wish JJ hadn't done the Star Trek sequel because it felt like he was just rehashing. The first Star Trek felt new and exciting, the sequel felt like he was going through the motions.

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    1. The original trilogy films were each heavily influenced by Lucas. I personally would prefer one strong influence guiding all of the films in this trilogy. I thought JJ would be that influence, but we shall see. He still could be while not directing, but it would be more difficult.

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    2. I get what you are saying but just personally I enjoyed Into Darkness a little more. Now that I say that next time I go back to watch Trek 2009 I will probably end up liking it better. I was never a Trek fan so I didnt really care about the changes to kahn or the fact that it was a rehash of Wrath of Kahn. I got a chuckle out of Spock yelling his name instead of Kirk.

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    3. Into Darkness was literally the exact same as the first star trek lol. Boring villain. Same character arcs. Same arguments between spock and kirk.

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    4. @ Julius Q. Vernon

      Kathleen Kennedy is the new Lucas.

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    5. "Kathleen Kennedy is the new Lucas."

      Exactly. And I believe J. J. and Kasdan will be producers on all of them anyway.

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  5. I would greatly prefer that JJ direct all 3. This wouldn't be disastrous, but JJ would be my clear preference.

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  6. Star Wars Episode VIII: The Wrath of the Rainmaker

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  7. From a scheduling perspective, different directors/producers etc. works heavily in Disney's favour. Don't have to wait to start working on the next one if you don't want to.

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  8. No way Abrams was ever going to direct all three. The 2 year turn-around on episodes is too short a span for one director to simultaneously work on post production on one while doing pre production on the other. Not to mention the one or two pick up sessions after principle photography is done. It's possible if they were shot back to back, but they aren't going to be. Studio space for the spin-off films makes that very unlikely.

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    1. This is what I have been saying all along. I am so excited we have as of right now 6 Star Wars films in development almost simultaneously 4 with directors and writers signed. It is great to be a Star Wars fan right now :)

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  9. Contrary to reports, the talks are ongoing.
    http://i.imgur.com/LwTMdKk.jpg

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    1. M. Night Shyamalan? Doubtful.

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    2. If M. Night gets his grubby little hands on Star Wars it could be a real mess.

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    3. LOL. I'm probably the last Shyamalan fan left on this planet. But even I wouldn't want him for the sequel trilogy. He might be a good choice for a standalone film though. Maybe a prequel film, ancient Jedi history or something, 2000 years before ep. 1, magical, fairytale style. Could work.

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    4. Nope, sorry. Shyalaman would be a horrendous choice. Name me one *good* film that he's ever done. If he ends up directing Ep IX, I guarantee it'll end with, ".... and then little Joey woke up with a nasty bump on his head, but it had all been a dream. Or had it?" Blegh.

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    5. Shymalan is the worst. His films have been bombing for years now.

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    6. Shyamalan bought into his own hype and has become an egotist that thinks any lazy thing he spews out is gold, and people just don't understand his genius.

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    7. "Name me one *good* film that he's ever done."

      "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable", and "Signs" (as long as you suspend your disbelief for the odd plot twist at the end of the last one).

      Granted, all of those were back before he got full of himself and thought of himself as the next Stanley Kubrick. I heard that, while "After Earth" wasn't particularly good, it was an improvement over the stuff he'd directed in previous years.

      I think he could be decent as a creative consultant or an executive producer or something, but he needs to stay away from the director's chair. He needs to eat a slice of humble pie.

      - Pomojema

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    1. Regardless of what you think of his directing on that, "Ozymandias" certainly wasn't poorly-directed, going by the fact that it has a perfect score on IMDB.

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    2. Agreed. Looper is way overrated.

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    3. I hated 12 Monkeys and Looper is another one I hated.

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  11. This makes sense. Now I can believe that Disney can release an Episode every other year like they announce. It would have taken JJ another 3 years to make EP 8, just like it took GL 3 years to produce one of these giant fx driven films.

    Plus, JJ is burning the candle at both ends. You never know. He could be back to direct another episode in the future when he recovers from this EP 7 experience. It's gotta be taking a toll on him and his family, being away and all the pressure to deliver perfection.

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  12. Maybe JJ was only up for one, who knows.. Rian Johnson is an excellent choice for VIII.

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  13. I don't like different Directors for each film. 7 8 and 9 need continuity and 3 different directors with different approaches and ideas might make for 3 totally different films. The stand alone movies should be unique, but these 3 have to go together.

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    1. ANH, ESB, and ROTJ went together just fine. The Prequels were all directed by the same man and were a mess.

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    2. Hahaha Anonymous 11:39 your argument was just destroyed

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    3. 1 director for the lord of the rings worked perfectly...

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    4. They're not filming back-to-back. Do you expect JJ to do 3 Star Wars films in 6 years?

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  14. Brad Bird would have been better.

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  15. Great news. Great news for so many reasons. Actually, that's even better than JJ Abrams doing ep. 7. I just hope that Han Solo doesn't die. :)

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  16. What the ****? This is BS. JJ should do all 3.

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  17. Maybe JJ will come back for Episode X...

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  18. There is another rumor out there stating that Ram Bergman will produce the next two episodes. So does that mean JJ and company may not produce either or are they going to bring another producer on? Which would bring the number of producers to, a lot.

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  19. "Write a treatment for 9"?!? I thought they were following George's outline?
    Oh God, just when I was beginning to have SOME sort of faith in this whole thing ....

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    1. Read that too. Was thinking it meant second treatment after GL's.

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  20. I'm.... ok with this. I love JJ and have a lot of faith. He's doing the heavy lifting. A bunch of talented guys are going to take over after he's done? Works for me. I've liked most of these directors works.

    I still put more faith in them than George and I still thank him for finally letting Star Wars be free.

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  21. Lets give George another chance! Maybe he is all rested up now and learned from his experience. Every director goes through a slump. What better director than the one who dreamed up SW in the first place.

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    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    2. I actually really like this idea! George to direct EP 9! Make it happen Disney!

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    3. Oh really? You think he suddenly hates putting CG everywhere and suddenly understands how to work with actors now? lol, well I'm afraid I have some bad news ...

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    4. The actors had pretty bad scripts for the Prequels. Even Natalie Portman looked really bad in them and she later won an Oscar. Hayden C. cant really act much based on his subsequent career. Give good actors good scripts and they will direct themselves. GL does have a phenomenal visual style, though.

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    5. Just compare to Steve Jobs. He created a great company with awesome products, and then later on made some questionable products (Apple III, Lisa, etc). When he came back to resume his company he literally changed the world. So maybe George Lucas can do the same thing. He comes back to helm the last episode and once again change the world. Ok i'll come back to reality now lol

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  22. I think it's wise to have different directors for each film. It will likely help keep things fresh and energetic, and give each film a unique flavor.

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  23. Looper was crap.

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  24. This is the joke of the century.

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  25. I think it's interesting that they're mainly looking for up-and-coming directors known for having great starts instead of going with directors that have won Oscars and Grammies. It almost feels like they're looking for people with a similar careers to George Lucas - before he hit it big "Star Wars", he had a few little-known movies called "THX 1138" and "American Graffitti", while Gareth Edwards had "Monsters" and "Godzilla", Josh Trank had "Chronicle", and this guy had "Looper". I look forward to seeing how this plays out.

    - Pomojema

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    1. Pomo, exactly. You want guys who are up and coming, hungry to make these movies. They have enough experience to do something fresh. We don't need Peter Jackson or James Cameron with their colossal egos and stale ideas at this point.

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    2. Cameron is so out of touch with reality that he is making 3 more AVATAR films that almost no one wants to see. I predict that they will be the first bombs of his illustrious career. Although I view Titanic and Avatar as the Twin Towers of Bad Taste, they made money. But so do the Transformers movies, which are just rock em sock em robots.

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    3. Looper in no way is of the caliber of THX-1138. These guys they have hired are all small potatoes.

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    4. Hopefully JJ hasn't lost that hunger. He is already an established director and has tons of money now.

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  26. i like his stuff , especially thunderstruck and back in black

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  27. Frank Darabont maybe?

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  28. I'll wait and see how Ep.7 turns out... then we'll decide if JJ should direct further instalments or not.

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  29. I don't get it. I mean, I understand that the idea is perhaps to get those like myself who grew up with Star Wars as a massive influence on their lives, and therefore with a desire to not f**k it up completely, but seriously.... Who the hell are these schmucks? They've done two or three vaguely successful movies (that IMHO were dramatically over-rated anyway) that show absolutely no relevance to the sheer scale of the effects needed, both physical and digital, or the diva stars that they'll be working with (except Willis, I suppose), or the budget they'll have to deal with.... It doesn't make any sense! Surely a more seasoned veteran to film-making would be apt? I would suggest using James Cameron (Avatar), Christopher Nolan (Terminator: Salvation), maybe McG (The Dark Knight Rises), or Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy) for their experience with high-CGI content and vast budgets (and alright, maybe a bit of the grittiness they present). Or maybe the Wachowski's for their philosophical slants on the Matrix movies.

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    1. We don't need the best or most expensive directors to work on Star Wars films - we've had Lucas, Kershner and Marquand, none of whom were big names. The films are largely carried by the special effects. A number of TV directors would fit the requirements quite adequately. The recruitment system employed for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles worked very well - directors not necessarily possessing a great deal of experience, but young, enthusiastic and willing to work hard to meet the 'factory-speed' production schedule.

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    2. What a load of waffle starkiller. You do realise Irvin Kershner has been the best director so far for a star wars film, Yet he only directed indie films. A soap opera director could direct star wars quite frankly. They aren't the ones making the effects. The main thing that matters with star wars is your vision for the film. Rian has proven he is brilliant at working with actors, he is original, he likes film over digital, he likes practical effects. He is a great fit for star wars. Who cares if, like Irvin Kershner, he hasn't directed something similar before.

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    3. Sure, who needs a good director? Hell, why even have a director? People like Kubrick and Spielberg had no impact on their films. Let's just get the cheapest directors possible for this just to be able to say there is a director. I mean, anyone can direct a Star Wars movie. That's got to be the easiest job on the planet next to watching paint dry.

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  30. to be fair I have not seen his movies. but watching the trailer for Looper....man, it just looks like the typical forgettable disposable sci fi movies that have been coming out these last decades. Next they will announce the director of I am Legend doing the third and last one. I could be wrong, again, I haven't seen his movie, but the trailer does not look promising. I am worried about this choice. What is driving it? JJ seemed llike a good wise choice. THen I heard the spin offs and thought, okay they are cutting corners with the spin offs, to save money or whatever, but the main movies? I thought they would go with more experienced directors.
    Note to Starkiller' comment above, in regards to the Wachowski's doing one of the movies: it would be bad. the sequel matrix's were not well done and the cgi destroyed the movie. It looks like a massive fucking cartoon...ridiculous.

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    1. I give all these young directors the benefit of the doubt until I see the finished movies. They could have made some mediocre films before, but rise to a new level of inspiration doing SW movies.

      I am much more worried about the screenplays. Bad script = bad movie no matter what.

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    2. Looper was largely forgettable. People that are praising it must be from a younger generation that forgets when sci-fi movies had some level of intelligence. It certainly is no 2001.

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  31. We haven't even seen ep7 yet and already JJ is getting the flick!? I'd prefer him do all 3 so they feel the same

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    1. That's why I DON'T want the same director, so they DON'T all feel the same. It's a smart move if you ask me, JJ's star trek was good at setting things up but Into Darkness was a complete rehash. Empire Strikes Back was a different writer and director and was the best film because it was much more different and edgier. A shake up for each film is good so it doesn't get too familiar.

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    2. the turn around of every 2 years for a new film is so slight it's probably impossible that JJ could do the next one. I imagine Johnson will be writing the script and going into pre production while episode 7 is still wrapping up.

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  32. Lack of respect now announces the director of VIII with the production team of the VII. I think something happened to JJ for making that decision. Hopefully he did not star wars movie VII discouraged.

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  33. Its a sad state of affairs in the movie industry when Looper is praised for its "intelligence". Whatever.

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  34. Kathyrn Bigelow might have been a great choice. She can do character driven mood and violence (Near Dark, Point Break, Strange Days) as well as action (Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty).

    The recent scifi films are entertaining when watching but largely forgettable. There's something missing from them. I can't remember the last movie where I watched it 3 times in a theater.

    Also, tired of the gray, blurry CGI they always use. It feels like there's one CGI company in Hollywood using the same ideas and templates over and over. JJ Abrams has been one of the few who brought a fresh take to Star Trek, and that was a great movie and yet not one that I can become obsessed about. And the villain was weakly done.

    I'm having some hopes about VII though because Disney will try to make sure JJ and this director don't mess it up because they all will be hated if they do mess it up. Especially Disney. There's a lot on the line. So maybe they want young up and comers who have great ideas and energy and is a fanboy but will listen to the Suits hovering over their shoulder.

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  35. He's been hired because he can be pushed around.

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