UPDATE 9:06 p.m. EST: Yet another director is out of the running direct the upcoming Star Wars sequels. Brad Bird, one of the front runners in the director speculation game has taken his name out of the game. A fan tweeted at him saying “You are on people’s lists as top choice for Star Wars, yet haven’t confirmed. Please end this tease!” Bird quoted the tweet and added, “Not doing Star Wars.” He responded to another fan, tweeting, “The science fiction film I AM doing is gonna be cool.” Well, we have no doubt about that. The film will be 1952, in case you’re wondering. Who do you think will take the reins? Check out his tweets below.
Brad Bird tweets that he won’t direct Star Wars
UPDATE 1:04 p.m. EST: Two more directors have given us their thoughts on directing Star Wars. J.J. Abrams has been a name that’s been thrown around, but it looks like he isn’t going to take on the project. ”Look, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies of all time,” Abrams told Hollywood Life. “I frankly feel that — I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big Star Trek fan growing up, so for me, working on Star Trek didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege, and so, I am looking forward more [than] anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars, but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer!”
Jon Favreau, however, might be up for the gig. He told the site, ”I think there is a lot of question marks of how they are going to do it, and who they are going to do it with, and what the story is going to be about; but to say that I am not excited about it is definitely an understatement. We’ll see.”
What do you guys think?
Since the big Star Wars sequel announcement, everyone and their mother has been speculating on who might be up for the directing job. Well, we don’t know who will, but we know a number of people who won’t! Of course, it’s the big question in all interviews with directors these days. “Would you want to take it on?” I certainly couldn’t resist when I spoke to Guillermo Del Toro this morning about his new film Rise of the Guardians.
Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford in “Star Wars”
Steven Spielberg, who had been named as a possible director just said no. He told Access Hollywood, “No! No! It’s not my genre. It’s my best friend George’s genre.” Okay, well, that leaves him out, which is sad, because he could actually have done a great job with this.
Quentin Tarantino is out too. He told EW, “I could so care less. Especially if Disney’s going to do it. I’m not interested in the Simon West version of Star Wars.” Well, damn, Quentin! I love you and all, but that’s harsh! Of course, it would be hard to imagine a Tarantino-style Star Wars. (Actually, there is a small, very twisted part of me that wants to see it.)
Those two aren’t the only ones who are out of the running. Zack Snyder says he wouldn’t do it either. He told the LA Times, “I don’t think I’d be interested in directing it. I’m a huge Star Wars fanatic. I just think doing [episodes] seven, eight and nine is just a slippery slope. It’s a whole other mythological experiment I’m excited to see, but it’s a lot of effort.” Well, that makes sense. Whoever directs these films is going to face an unbelievable amount of pressure. Maybe it’s better to get a newer director, without a specific style?
That said, I couldn’t help but ask Del Toro, since I love his work so much. His name and Peter Jackson’s were the first ones I thought of when thinking about who I’d like to see in the driver’s seat. He told me, “You know, I saw it on the Internet, but I haven’t approached them, they haven’t formally approached me. (Author’s note: Emphasis on “formally” is Del Toro’s.) I mean, I heard some rumblings, but to me it’s really — I have so many projects to discuss or think about. [For] something that is not a possibility yet, I don’t do that. You know, because I have so many things that I need to catch up with. If this becomes ever a reality, and there’s an approach to do it, I would then think about it, but — it’s like thinking if I want to date a supermodel. I don’t think about these things.”
I love that he compares directing Star Wars to dating a supermodel! Personally, I’d really love to see him do it. Or Peter Jackson if we’re going for a name. There is also the rumor from Collider that Matthew Vaughn, director of X-Men: First Class and Kick Ass will take the reins. Well, that would certainly be interesting!
Weigh in here, guys. What do you think? Who would you like to see direct the new Star Wars films? While we wait for news, please enjoy this brand new cinematic trailer for “Angry Birds Star Wars.”
