Joe Johnston weighs in on the hiring of JJ Abrams for Star Wars: Episode VII

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Director Joe Johnston has had a long career that goes all the way back to working on the original STAR WARS trilogy. At one point his name was thrown in contention to direct STAR WARS: EPISODE VII, a job that eventually went to J.J. Abrams. But, Johnston is not bitter. In fact, he supports the choice of Abrams.

Johnston recently said “J.J. Abrams is the perfect choice to get the third trilogy off the ground. These films are big logistical nightmares to direct, like any $150 million plus project. They’re like military operations in the attention to detail required while trying to retain a grasp of the big picture. J.J. has more than proven he can handle the pressure, plus it doesn’t hurt to have a guy at the wheel who has produced, written, and created shows of his own. If anything he may be overqualified.”

While many of you are not in favor of Abrams as the final choice for EPISODE VII, he is definitely more creative behind the camera than Johnston. I enjoyed CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER and THE WOLFMAN, but they both lacked something magical to elevate them from the screen to something more. I feel Abrams definitely has the ability to do that and I hope he will when we finally get to see STAR WARS: EPISODE VII on the big screen.