Star Wars: Episode VII Director Search Is Over, Disney Choses J.J. Abrams

Yes the official Star Wars: Episode VII director has been announced, and I can honestly say I didn't see this one coming. After names such as Matthew Vaughn, Colin Trevorrow, Guillermo Del Toro, Brad Bird, Jon Favreau, Joe Johntson, Duncan Jones, and Joss Whedon were all either rumored or fan favorites, it turns out J.J. Abrams (Mission Impossible 3, Star Trek, Super 8) will be taking on yet another intergalactic franchise in the form of Star Wars. Abram's best known as the creator of such TV shows as Lost, Felicity, and Fringe, as well as the film Super 8 has recently become a bigger name after his well praised 2009 Star Trek reboot, and it's upcoming sequel Star Trek: Into Darkness will be crossing over to the rival series .

Abrams comes as a very unexpected choice after taking him self out of contention to the media early on when the film was first announced, having said on his twitter that he'd just be seeing the next Star Wars film as a fan. On top of that seemingly straight forward denial of involvement from him, he's also been busy working on the Star Trek film series, which is almost guaranteed to have a third film. While Abrams has now directed his attention to the Episode VII, he will still be involved with the Trek franchise, but don't expect him to be in the director's chair by the time Star Trek 3 rolls around.

The news comes a bit bitter sweet, although it's very exciting to see someone as talented and well known as Abrams taking on the next Star Wars film, many of us had hoped he'd finish of the Trek series till the end, and switching to it's long known competitor is a bit frustrating for some fans. None the less Abrams heading the new film is very reliving, having already brought us many fun sci-fi action films, and always choosing very talented actors for any of his projects, Abrams really has all the qualities we need from the next Star Wars director.

LucasFilm has released the following statement on Abram's getting the job:

J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

“It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said Kennedy. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”

George Lucas went on to say “I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller.  He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.

Episode VII will also be produced by Abrams and his collaborator Bryan Burk, as well as his production company Bad Robot. It's also been revealed that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back) and Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class, Sherlock Holmes) will be serving as consultants for the film alongside Lucas himself. As for whether Abrams will be staying on for the whole new trilogy, or if so who will be taking the rains of the Star Trek franchise post Into Darkness, there's still no word but it more information should develop as we approach the release of Star Trek: Into Darkness May 17th.

How do you feel about J.J. Abrams directing Star Wars: Episode VII? Would you have preferred someone else?

Read More

Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt Our Next Dark Knight Or Marvel's Star-Lord?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt. From block busters such as The Dark Knight Rises and Looper to the instant classic Inception, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a bright future ahead of him in terms of his film career. Recently there has news from Variety that is JGL testing out for the role of "Star-Lord" in Marvel and James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy. This is where the conflict begins because Levitt's recently been rumored to reprise his role as John Blake in DC's Justice League film as the new Batman. But does this news mean there's no hope for seeing JGL reprise his role in any future DC films?

DC's recent movie The Dark Knight Rises led us to believe that JGL's role as a rookie cop John Blake would be transformed into either Batman, Robin, or Nightwing due to him entering Bruce Wayne's Batcave towards the end of the film. But they never really say or show what he found in the Batcave so it is led to be inconclusive. Some fans of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy believe that he should portray the next Batman in the Justice League film, and the thought of JGL going up for the role of Star-Lord would be a bit surprising as he'd now be devoting himself to a job as both DC AND Marvel heroes.

So the question remains what role would be better for JGL? Batman or Star-Lord? If JGL decided that he's  going to play Batman, Robin, or Nightwing in the Justice League movie or in any future Batman films it could potentially set him up for a series of movies and would surely benefit his career. But what if JGL isn't right for the role of Batman? JGL has recently beefed up more for athletic roles, but Batman is usually portrayed as a much taller man than Levitt who's only 5 "10 where is Christian Bale was six foot. While he has gotten the physique more down for the role of Batman and less for those of Robin or Nightwing, JGL still seems just to young to be the Batman we all know and love. And of course there's also the fact that if John Blake is Batman, then we'll never be able to see Bruce Wayne as a member of the League, and he's had great character development and relationships with teammates that we won't ever be able to see on screen. So I say stick with Bruce Wayne as Batman and not John Blake, and if Christian Bale really isn't coming on board then Andrew Lincoln best known as Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead would be a great choice.

So now it comes down to Star-Lord. Numerous actors have been rumored for the part recently with names such as Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables), Joel Edgerton (Warrior), Jim Strugress (Cloud Atlas), Lee Pace (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Michael Rossenbaum (Smallville), James Marsden (X-Men), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), Sullivan Stapleton (Ganster Squad)and Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) have all been rumored for the part of the Guardians of the Galaxy leader and James Gunn's adaption. It's assumed that they will be looking for an actor around the age of most of Marvel's other leading men including Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, and not so much on the older end of the spectrum with Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. Levitt seems to fit the bill very well, and the character of Peter Quill/Star-Lord in the film is said to be a US Pilot and we can also assume that they'd be looking for an actor that can still bring a humorous element to the character similar to characters in James Gunn's other films.

So what role do you prefer Joseph Gordon-Levitt in? Star-Lord, Batman, or neither?

Read More