Sunday Spotlight - The Star Wars Saga

 

 

To those of you living in a remote cave somewhere, this may be shocking news to you. George Lucas sold out. To those of you who own multiple copies of multiple special editions of DVD's and VHS's, not so much. So, Lucasfilm is now owned by Disney. Not only Star Wars but, Indiana Jones and a few other beloved movies as well. Star Wars is the big money maker here though so, without hesitation, Disney announced a new trilogy. Fan reaction was mixed at best. Lucas has be very adimant in the past that Star Wars is done, the story is done, it's over. Fans have resigned themselves to this finality. The original trilogy is pure classic fantasy, the prequel trilogy, not so much but, the fans were accepting. The whole story has been told. In a 1999 interview with Starlog magazine he said the following..

Q: Does that mean you won't do episodes seven, eight and nine?
Lucas: I will not do seven, eight and nine.
Q: You will not? Will they be made by somebody else?
Lucas: No. They will not.
Q: So this trilogy ends it?
Lucas: This is it. This is all there is.

Then, in 2008 came the following...


"The story, the saga, of Star Wars, – which is the Skywalker saga or the tragedy of Darth Vader – starts with him being 10 years old. It ends when he dies. Luke's role in that story is the fact that he redeems his father, but that is the story. There is no more story after that. What happens to Luke after that, it isn't relevant to the story of what happens to Darth Vader because he's gone."

THEN, of course we fast forward to January 2012...


"...it's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers."


What the heck, George Lucas?

So, now rumors are flying all over the place about Episode VII. As of this writing, J.J. Abrams has been confirmed as the director. Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) is tasked with the script. All of the main cast from the original trilogy are interested in reprising their roles, as is Ewan McGregor and Samuel L. Jackson as Jedi ghosts, I suppose. This leads to an important question, do we WANT them to reprise their roles? Remember Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull? We remember the original trilogy with rose tinted glasses. The actors have all aged and are not as we remember them.

 

While, that's no reason to not include them, is it a wise choice? We look forward to these sequels to beloved films that have been dormant for years only to be heavily dissapointed. How many of you Star Wars fans "liked" Phantom Menace? It just wasn't the same for many of us. I remain hesitant to be excited about this new trilogy. Folks may say Disney did a great job with The Avengers, I agree with that, it was fantastic. But, remember Disney also had John Carter and Pirates 4, and the numerous duds they have churned out, Witch Mountain with The Rock, anyone?

So, what can we expect from Episode VII? Not much is known as of now. Disney received an "extensive story treatment" by Lucas for Episode VII. In an August 2012 meeting with series stars Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, Lucas disclosed that he would not direct the sequels. Perhaps the meeting was to ask if they were interested in appearing in the new trilogy? The new trilogy will be a new story and not based on any of the books or other media.

According to British newspaper The Express, Darth Vader will return.

“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.”

 

This is just speculation but, makes sense. I wouldn't put it past Disney to bring him back.

 

 

 

What ever the outcome, Disney is poised to make millions of dollars from each movie so, we can expect new films often. As a Star Wars fan, I hope they don't run it into the ground. Money and the greed for it have a way of doing that to franchises, you know. Remember the Joel Schumacher Batman years?

 

 

We shall see.....