Could there possibly be a disturbance in The Force already as Disney and Lucasfilm continue to prep Star Wars: Episode VII?
Now that director J.J. Abrams has wrapped his promotional duties on Star Trek Into Darkness -- a sequel that has generated nearly $415 million in worldwide receipts – we assume that he’s plunging head first into pre-production on the fiercely anticipated Star Wars sequel, which Disney wants in theaters by 2015. And one would assume that the first thing on Abrams’ To-Do list would be a meeting with Star Wars head honcho George Lucas, to pick his brain and analyze the nascent steps of this brand-new trilogy, if only to make sure that Abrams is heading down the right creative path.
Well, that hasn’t happened yet. As Lucas tells Access Hollywood, he and Abrams haven’t even had a conversation regarding Star Wars yet … and so far, everybody’s OK with that.
I have not spoken to J.J. He’s been busy with Star Trek, and I’m sure that he’ll let me know when he’s got some questions. So, you know, that’s all going well. Kathy tells me it’s working out great,” Lucas told the entertainment news program.
“Kathy” is Kathleen Kennedy, who also gets mentioned in the above clip as someone who ultimately is in charge of the Star Wars universe from here on out, and the look of relief on Lucas’ face that he no longer has to deal with the headaches associated with these characters and plotlines is evident. The glance he gives to the camera when discussing his lack of conversations with Abrams basically says, “These guys, like the one posted below, are your problem now, sir. Enjoy!”
This begs the question, though: How much insight would you want Lucas to have at this stage? We’ve seen the prequels. Many did not like the prequels. Do you want Lucas looking over Abrams’ shoulder as he preps Episode VII, or do you want Abrams to have creative freedom to establish his own version of this beloved universe? Either way, we know that Disney is going to have its “fingerprints” all over every step on this new Star Wars world, because there is too much at stake – from theme parks to standalone Star Wars movies. But from the sound of it, Lucas is happy to have passed the baton … and I’m OK with that, really.
