Let’s Talk About J.J. Abrams Directing Star Wars Episode VII

Posted 7 years ago by Movies

J.J. Abrams

Ok, there’s no point in making this post sound like any kind of news story or announcement, because you’ve heard it already (not to mention I’m a day late). J.J. Abrams is directing the new Star Wars movie, which is the biggest news related to Episode VII we’ve had and just the tip of the iceberg of what we’ll be getting over the next couple years.

I’m going to save my in-depth opinion for something Tim and I will be unveiling soon, but I will say this: I think J.J. Abrams is a very talented dude, and I can trust him with a Star Wars movie. He’s practically been proteged by Steven Spielberg and although he has some gimmicks (insert lens flare joke here), he is a big enough Star Wars fan that I think he will treat this movie as the most important thing he’ll ever do, and try to do it right.

A lot of people are confused that Abrams will be tackling Star Trek and Star Wars, but when you think about it, they’re two very different things. I doubt that Abrams would do Star Wars just to make it like his Trek movies. Olly Moss said it best:

One bit of news said that Matthew Vaughn pitched an idea to have Chloë Grace Moretz in the lead of thew new Star Wars movie, which makes me think it will focus on the next generation of Jedi, possibly learning from Luke. This excites me because J.J. Abrams is the guy who proved that kids can still be awesome in movies when he made Super 8, and I’d love to see him handle young Jedi.

Overall, I think he will do a good job, and I think he’s aware of the internet’s obsession with lens flare jokes and will avoid overdoing it in something as beloved as Star Wars.

But, the point of this post is to get a good discussion going. What do you think? Do you think J.J. Abrams is a good pick?

PS: The thing that made me like Abrams was his TED Talk. Check it out if you haven’t seen it.
  • Dex

    The one thing above all else that makes me think he’s good for this? He made the Star Wars-iest Star Trek movie ever. Giving him the reigns to an actual Star Wars movie can only be a good thing.

  • Yeah, I love what he’s done with established franchises so far (he single-handedly saved the Mission Impossible franchise for me and made me dig Tom Cruise in the role.) What I hope is that he’s brave enough to not get bogged down in the Skywalker mythos, and to open up the possibilities for stories beyond just Jedi and Sith. I’d also love it if this wasn’t the beginning of a new trilogy, but just an extension of the timeline…

  • I’m with you, Tommy, I’d love to see more of a focus on young Jedi. Give us something NEW and DIFFERENT instead of trying to re-hash and re-tread old territory that’s already been done to death. I’m a HUGE fan of Super 8 and I approve of any director who copies Steven Spielberg’s homework. That style is what we need for such an epic property.

    • Glad to hear I’m not the only one who loves Super 8. Seriously, you could take out the whole monster aspect of it and I could just watch those kids make a movie for 2 hours.

      • Totally. He really nailed that E.T./Goonies/Stand by Me vibe that I’m always seeking in kid-centric movies.

        • I’d like to see Ellie Fanning as Luke’s daughter or something, or the main kid from Super 8. They both did really well.

    • I also feel compelled to point out that my dream director for a new Star Wars movie would be Steven Spielberg himself. So in my eyes, his protege is the next-best choice.