Like an army of B1 Battle Droids, rumors in the wake of last week’s Disney acquisition of “Star Wars” have been plentiful, relentless, and fairly easy to knock down. For fans of the galaxy “far far away,” it’s a conflicting time – fun to dream about what could be, but every idea soured with the aftertaste of Jar-Jar Binks and possible Mickey-Meets-Yoda plotlines.
Nevertheless, we here at Nicerazzi are unapologetic geeks of the highest order. With that in mind, it’s time to sink our teeth into the latest rumors like a hungry Rancor with a plump Gamorrean dropped into his pit.
First on everyone’s mind, naturally, is Episode VII. Who will direct it? Will it feature the big three of Luke, Leia and Han? Will Harrison Ford be pushing around a walker with a blaster attached to it? Well, some details have begun to emerge, including news that Carrie Fisher was asked whether she’s accept a role in the film and said “Yes. Sure. Wouldn’t you?”, an unnamed source told Entertainment Weekly that Ford “is open to the idea of doing the movie and he’s upbeat about it,” and that Mark Hamill knew abut the plans to make further movies. Of course, just because these 3 sci-fi legends are eager to return to Tatooine, however, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be looking at two suns anytime soon.
Even more speculative – if that’s possible – are rumors of who will direct the next flick. Undoubtedly, the job vacancy will be one of the most desirable positions in Hollywood, and rumors will persist until the day that someone finally lands the job. But some of the names we’re seeing feel like they’re just trying to get some easy publicity – If not, it seems like quite a coincidence that “Safety Not Guaranteed” filmmaker Colin Trevorrow and “Kick Ass” director Matthew Vaughn are supposedly in proverbial “talks” when both have made recent headlines for directing “Guaranteed” and leaving the “X-Men” franchise, respectively.
On top of that, rumors are now beginning to spread about potential writers, with Vulture claiming that Oscar-nominated “Toy Story 3” writer Michael Arndt has written a 50-page treatment and will likely be one of the writers on the Disney/Lucasfilm project when it begins shooting in 2014. Well, that rumor just seems…kinda plausible, actually.
And although it will never, ever, ever happen, we’d still like to see “Star Wars” ubergeek Kevin Smith involved in the new films for two reasons: Nobody can better express what made the original trilogy so damn perfect, and nobody in Hollywood can write better dialogue.
Until we finally feast our eyes on Episode VII, get ready for enough rumors to make you wish that the Ewok celebration song had indeed been the series’ final verse. But until that day comes, don’t feel too bad – after all, we’ll always be able to look at YouTube videos of a dog dressed like a Bantha.
What do you think about the Episode VII rumors? In your mind, what is the perfect “Star Wars” plotline for the new installment – which actors, which director, which characters?