It has happened. On October 30th it was announced, along with news that Lucasfilm is being sold to Disney, that the long awaited and speculated about Star Wars sequel trilogy (Episode VII, Episode VIII, and Episode IX) is in fact happening, with the first of the three releasing in 2015.
To say this is significant in the world of entertainment in general and Star Wars in particular would be an understatement. Already the Internet is a buzz with questions, prognostications, diatribes, rants, and haikus about this new film series (as well as Lucasfilm being purchased by Disney, and George Lucas himself).
Wanting to bring some rationality, some positivity, and some fun to the proceedings, the guys at The Clone Cast convened an emergency Skype-recorded podcast episode. So listen in as Josh and Nic present a two-and-a-half hour long discussion and analysis of today's news.
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Runtime: 2 hours, 31 minutes, 58 seconds
p.s. - It was November 1, 1994.
Finally listening to this episode. I understand some of the concerns, and there are a few worries I share and some that don't bother me much yet.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, the idea of Disney perhaps overriding Kathleen Kennedy or other Lucasfilm ideas. I'm not as concerned about this for a reason that Nic brings up and that's the situation we've had with Marvel. From what we've seen in the years they've been made, Marvel seems to have largely put out the property as they have wanted them to be. Iron Man was apparently very much Jon Favreau's directorial vision. The same can be said for Kenneth Branagh, Joe Johnston, and most recently, and probably most popularly, Joss Whedon. Pixar seems to be in a similar boat, with that studio still producing the feature length and short films they've wanted to produces (though with two recent sequels and an upcoming prequel, maybe they have less control than I think). It's possible this could happen, but I'm unsure Lucas would want to sell his most famous property knowing that his selected successors wouldn't have control.
The bigger concern, which I am torn about myself, is Star Wars beyond George Lucas. I'm a huge fan of the EU and have been for years, but about the time The Clone Wars began, I realized that there really was a separation in my mind between what we see on screen and what we see in print, helped by the raging debate between the Lucas fans and the EU purists. From the beginning, this has been largely George's story. Now, certainly the visions and ideas of others have contributed. The generally accepted best film was directed by someone else. TCW has a staff who color what we see on screen with their own ideas and perceptions.
When George finally passes, it will be strange to see Star Wars films he had no part of and it might take me some getting used to. I think, though, that I would get used to it eventually.
I'm optimistic about the future of Star Wars films. I'm glad that Lucas basically has a handpicked successor, one who is very much a heavy hitter in Hollywood (how about that alliteration?)
It's been a few months, obviously, and we've had a few announcements. I'm disappointed that the rest of the films aren't getting 3-D releases. I'm hoping Star Wars: Detours gets made and that The Clone Wars has at least another year or two. And then there's J.J. Abrams. I'm bracing myself for your Abrams episode, which I have downloaded and will probably be listening to in the next few days. I'll probably have more to see then. Until then...
See you out there,
Mr. X