Yes, you can expect to hear a lot of news about J.J. Abrams and everything Star Wars for a long time to come. Time to settle in. Between Abrams and Joss Whedon, the duo, who both started with female-driven TV shows, have now become staples of geek culture, forever immortalized as Gods of Nerddom, dipped in chocolate and rolled in gold. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea. These guys are here to stay and when they talk, our ears percolate.
Abrams, who was announced last week as the director of STAR WARS: EPISODE VII, is busy with the release of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, but is preparing to work on the script with Michael Arndt, whom he will collaborate with for the final product. Abrams has always been detail-oriented and careful about his projects (not to mention very secretive) and although producer Kathleen Kennedy announced that the new STAR WARS would hit sometime in 2015, sources close to camp Abrams are saying that the director has not committed to that timeframe, which means the release date could be on shaky ground.
Now, before you get too excited, let’s think about that for a second. We’re at the head of 2013 and Abrams just signed on. A script isn’t written yet, a cast isn’t assembled, and no sets are built. Lucas had a three-year gap between the prequels, which would make that cutting it pretty damn close for Abrams if he stuck to that cycle right off the bat. Personally, I’d rather them NOT rush the film just to meet a date, as I’ve stated before, and focus on making the best film possible. Shit, until they announced it, I was all set to never see a new STAR WARS film ever, so one extra year won’t hurt (if it even comes to that).
Abrams hasn’t dropped any specifics about the new film, but did reveal his own feelings about the gig, saying, “You know, obviously, it’s so early. I can just say what I want to do: I want to do the fans proud. I want to make sure the story is something that touches people. And we’re just getting started. I’m very excited.”
Speaking to E! Online, Abrams said, “It really is an incredible thing. It’s wildly surreal. It’s obviously way too early to talk specifics. But I’m excited to actually start it.”
Yes, J.J., I think we’re all excited for you to start.
STAR WARS: EPISODE VII is slated for release sometime in 2015 (but probably not…maybe).
Check out this sweet fan-art poster by P.L. Boucher…