Greg Grunberg's Continuing Employment, AKA J.J. Abrams is Directing Star Wars

[Lumenskir]

Pretty much what the title says.

So, uh,

[lens flare joke]

[bitch about Lost]

["You All Everybody" playing at a Cantina]

[something something Star Trek something]

Whelp, this thread wrapped up early.

[Magus]

You forgot the species of demonic smoke monsters that inhabit planet Thiland.

[Bells]

Hey! THe dude that made Cloverfield gets points with me Ok?

Of all the names that were racing around, this one seems like a pretty solid story.... but he is just the director. It's the WRITER that we want to pay attention...

[Arlia Janet]

Originally Posted by Bells

Of all the names that were racing around, this one seems like a pretty solid story.... but he is just the director. It's the WRITER that we want to pay attention...

Au contraire.
The original script for that shameful Russel Crowe adaptation of Robin Hood was absolutely amazing. It was intended and written as an interesting spin on a story ingrained in the Western cultural subconscious, where the Sheriff of Nottingham is the main character leading a historically accurate investigation of murders and pursuit of Robin Hood with lots of cool twists.
Ridley Scott came to the scene and completely changed the tone and theme of the film because he wanted Robin Hood shooting a bow to be a more prominent part of the movie. He rewrote the script because Scott is the one with star power.

The director is a (hopefully benevolent) dictator on the set and will override the intentions of the writer for better or worse.
There is no such thing as "JUST" a director.

On topic, I hope we have more fan service (old Chewy anybody?), undermining of the universe's mythos, highly choreographed but emotionless battles, ridiculous chance encounters, and forced romantic subplots. Honestly, those are the staples of the Star Trek movie that everyone keeps telling me that they enjoyed.
And power creep! We need spectacle (like that silly sky diving scene in Star Trek). I want Jedi crushing space ships like soda cans even though Yoda struggled to lift a space ship out of a swamp.
... And a pink lightsaber.

[Lumenskir]

Hey! THe dude that made Cloverfield gets points with me Ok?

Oh, the things in brackets were just to cut off obvious unfunny 'jokes' I'm sure people wanted to make reflexively after hearing J.J. Abrams mentioned.

MI:III and Super 8 were great, and Star Trek is already the third best Star Wars movie, it seems like a no brainer.

Of all the names that were racing around, this one seems like a pretty solid story.... but he is just the director. It's the WRITER that we want to pay attention...

The writer's been a known quantity since November.

[RobinStarwing]

Originally Posted by Lumenskir

Oh, the things in brackets were just to cut off obvious unfunny 'jokes' I'm sure people wanted to make reflexively after hearing J.J. Abrams mentioned.

MI:III and Super 8 were great, and Star Trek is already the third best Star Wars movie, it seems like a no brainer.

The writer's been a known quantity since November.

And you my friend need your brains examined...

[Solid Snake]

I loved the first season of LOST, which was really the only one JJ Abrams was involved with.

But I'm kind of concerned insofar as I'd prefer new Star Wars to not feel like new Star Trek, and so that's one thing that concerns me about the two series sharing the same director. Star Wars and Star Trek always represented two very different approaches to sci-fi and they explored different themes and I don't want them to feel like mirror images of each other.

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

Star Wars and Star Trek always represented two very different approaches to sci-fi and they explored different themes and I don't want them to feel like mirror images of each other.

To be fair that ship kinda sailed when the New Star Trek movie wasn't really about exploring and meeting new races etc. etc. and was more about sci-fi sword fights with laser guns.

[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by Krylo

To be fair that ship kinda sailed when the New Star Trek movie wasn't really about exploring and meeting new races etc. etc. and was more about sci-fi sword fights with laser guns.

Well, yes, that, but also Picard is better fit for Star Trek than Kirk.

...Should have rebooted it with a young Picard.

[BloodyMage]

JJ feels like such an uninspired choice. Like Disney literally looked at him and thought, 'he's done science-fiction films that are alright, I'm sure he can make a success of this science fiction franchise too.' He feels like very safe option.

I have much preferred Rian Johnson or Darren Aronofsky, although Aronofsky is probably too busy making Noah.

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

I loved the first season of LOST, which was really the only one JJ Abrams was involved with.

And even that was minimal. JJ met with Damon Lindelof, they discussed characters, themes and came up with the hatch and the smoke monster. JJ did the pilot and then had zero involvement again until Season 3. Even then all he did was write the teleplay. He had no involvement in the story or directing.