J.J. Abrams Takes Over Star Wars, Directing Episode VII Of Sequel Trilogy
One Abrams to rule them all...
When the Disney and Lucasfilm buyout was announced in 2012, the biggest question of all has been, who would direct the first installment? It was massive news when it was reported that J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, meaning, at the time, he had the two biggest franchises going with his name on them. Afterall, he was just coming off directing Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.
The news originally came from The Wrap, who cited “an individual with knowledge of the production.” They also said that Ben Affleck, who had helmed films such as Argo, The Town, and Gone Baby Gone, was one of the close contenders as well.
J.J. Abrams’ name had been one of the most speculated over these past few months, but it was considered unlikely since he was currently playing in Gene Roddenberry’s sandbox with Star Trek Into Darkness.
Did this mean the inevitable next Trek sequel would be handed off to somebody else? (It would) That would certainly put a smile on the fans who didn’t like Abrams’ brand of Star Trek.
The good news is that at the time J.J. Abrams was thought to be a better fit for Star Wars than Star Trek. He had said in interviews that he wasn’t much of a Trek fan before taking that directing gig. But Star Wars was definitely something he grew up loving.
We never want any movie to fail, so we went into Star Trek Into Darkness with fingers crossed, hoping it would be as good as the trailers make it look. And with that, of course hoping that Star Wars- Episode VII would restore some of the luster the franchise lost in the midst of prequels and special editions and Jar Jars.
Love him or hate him, there can now be no question: with this news J.J. Abrams was one of the most powerful people in show business.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens released in theaters in 2015.
