J.J. Abrams will Seek Advice from Lucas on STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

I'm sorry, but the last thing that J.J. Abrams should do is get advice from George Lucas when making Star Wars: Episode VII. The director revealed in a recent interview with Playboy that he was going to seek feedback on his decisions with the film from the Star Wars creator. I just hope he doesn't steer Abrams' vision in the wrong direction.

Also in the interview, the director discusses a lot of other things including Cloverfield 2, the possibility of an Alias movie, Lost, Fringe, Scientology, and movie sex. Oh yeah! There's also still a chance he could direct Star Trek 3!

Here's how the Star Wars portion of the question and answer session went down...

PLAYBOY: There’s much to discuss, such as the rumors of old cast members returning.

ABRAMS: [Smiles]

PLAYBOY: Will this be a distinct new trilogy?

ABRAMS: [Smiles]

PLAYBOY: Can you do away with Jar Jar Binks?

ABRAMS: You won’t like this answer, but it’s so early it would be insane to discuss details or get into plot points about what this unfilmed movie will be. And I’m not going to give my opinion on the original movies or characters.

PLAYBOY: But as a lifelong Star Wars fan, surely you have broad ideas about what needs to happen going forward. Three quarters of planet Earth came down on George Lucas for practically ruining Star Wars in Episode I. The Star Wars universe revolted.

ABRAMS: Here’s the thing. I try to approach a project from what it’s asking. What does it need to be? What is it demanding? With Star Wars, one has to take into account what has preceded it, what worked, what didn’t. There are cautionary tales for anything you take on that has a legacy—things you look at and think, I want to avoid this or that, or I want to do more of something. But even that feels like an outside-in approach, and it’s not how I work. For me, the key is when you have a script; it’s telling you what it wants to be.

PLAYBOY: Star Wars needs to look different from Star Trek, certainly.

ABRAMS: As with anything, because these are very different worlds, they shouldn’t feel the same aesthetically. They can’t. You’re right. But again, I don’t apply aesthetics first and fit a movie into that aesthetic. If I had come into Star Trek with those eyes, I would probably have been paralyzed. The advantage here is that we still have George Lucas with us to go to and ask questions and get his feedback on things, which I certainly will do. With Star Trek it was harder because I wasn’t a Star Trek fan; I didn’t have the same emotional feeling, and I didn’t have Gene Roddenberry to go to. But I came to understand the world of Star Trek, and I appreciated what fans felt and believed about this universe and this franchise.

PLAYBOY: As recently as last fall you said that directing a new Star Wars comes with a burden of “almost fatal sacrilege.” Do you feel that?

ABRAMS: I meant if I viewed this from a fan’s point of view—and no one’s a bigger Star Wars fan than I am—or from a legacy standpoint, it would scare the hell out of me. But instead of trying to climb this mountain in one giant leap, I’m just enjoying the opportunity and looking to the people I’m working with. I’ve known Kathy for years. I’ve worked with the screenwriter, Michael Arndt, for a long time. I’ve known George for a number of years and he’s now a friend. Even if this wasn’t Star Wars, I’d be enormously fortunate to work with them.

PLAYBOY: How much of your personal vision can you put on this?

ABRAMS: For me to talk to you about what the big themes or ideas are before they exist is disingenuous, but naturally I have a big say in how this gets put together. When I get involved with something, I own it and carry the responsibility of the job.

When Abrams was asked if directing Star Wars meant that he couldn't direct Star Trek 3, this is what he said: 

No. I would say it’s a possibility. We’re trying to figure out the next step. But it’s like anything: It all begins with the story.

I can see Abrams directing Star Trek 3 and Star Wars back to back. That is if Paramount is willing to wait for him to finish up with Star Wars

As of right now, Star Wars: Episode VII is still in the very early stages of development. There's a long way to go still, so we aren't going to get any solid news from Abrams on it for quite a long time. It sounds to me though like he's going to do what he feels is best for the next chapter in the franchise. He's taking charge. If Lucas ends up throwing out a bad idea, maybe, just maybe, Abrams has the balls to tell him "no."

Click here to read the full 4-page interview. 

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