Bring on the very first fan edits of 7 which will no doubt replace all that with the Fox logo.

Maybe John Williams will compose an entirely new Disney/Lucasfilm/Bad Robot fanfare that will rival Alfred Newman's old 20th Century Fox - Cinemascope Extension Fanfare.

Why does everyone assume the Disney sequence will be part of this?

Have you seen it in ANY Marvel film since the acquisition?

Assuming 20th Century Fox distributes the film, it'll be 20th Century Fox > LFL. I don't even think Bad Robot will be part of the opening credits - JJ Abrams is a fan: he'll want to keep continuity between the films.

Why does everyone assume the Disney sequence will be part of this? Have you seen it in ANY Marvel film since the acquisition?

Assuming 20th Century Fox distributes the film, it'll be 20th Century Fox > LFL. I don't even think Bad Robot will be part of the opening credits - JJ Abrams is a fan: he'll want to keep continuity between the films.

A delay makes sense to me. A 2015 release date for a tricked-out Star Wars film seems a little rushed.

Regarding a past timeline: Abrams agreed to direct Star Trek in February 2007, casting was announced in late summer and fall 2007, and filming began in November 2007.

I don't know, KK actually said a month ago that pre-production would get going in the spring. As in, wasn't started yet. Quite possibly because, as of the 5-part interview, they don't have a finished story yet. Maybe, MAYBE you have the new trilogy's answer to Ian McCaig working on some doodles now, but you've gotta wonder how much real work has actually been done at this point. All I know is this seems like a hell of a quick turnaround, "and it's making me feel uneasy."


About missing Memorial day, I actually had the though when the date was announced that Disney might be trying to build a Christmas franchise, sort of like Harry Potter, Twilight, and LotR, TH (which will be out of the way when SW hits screens). That way they don't risk stepping on their Marvel properties boxoffice, avoid battling it out with a more SW-like reinvigorated ST franchise in May, and maybe position this as a more prestige franchise.

The hard to please fans will never be happy, so fuck 'em.

And hopefully he'll have the sense to stay away from the IMDB message boards. I made the mistake of visiting there this weekend. Wow, what a bunch of whack jobs.

That's what Abrams needs to know.

I just wish that he treats the prequel and original trilogies as equals.

One of my biggest wishes would be to see the Jedi return to the samurai/warrior monk archetype

Nope. They were action stars in the prequels. There wasn't an ounce of Wise in any of 'em.

I want to make sure the story is something that touches people.

... trigger-happy soldiers in Episodes I, II and III. A little self-restraint would go a long way in showing how powerful they were.

Judging from your responses here I'm guessing that you're on the younger end of the spectrum. You grew up with the prequels and they're "your" trilogy. I get that and it's cool, man.

While I'm all for defending Lucas' talent as a filmmaker and his ability to make his movies however the fuck he wants, I'm not a prequel apologist. So comments like ..."prequel and original trilogies are equals..." stir the pot because they're really not.

Basically where I'm ending at is, from looking at Abrams' body of work, I'm inclined to say he's very likely to create something that feels akin to the classic movies that he and I have loved since childhood. Of course they'll be shiny and "perfect" and fully embrace modern filmmaking but will do so with a little more sensibility about them.

My kids aren't old enough to give me the kind of feedback I want but I'd hazard a guess they will gravitate to the flashier, newer movies.

One of my biggest wishes would be to see the Jedi return to the samurai/warrior monk archetype rather than the trigger-happy soldiers in Episodes I, II and III. A little self-restraint would go a long way in showing how powerful they were.

Nope. They were action stars in the prequels. There wasn't an ounce of Wise in any of 'em.

In November, a journalist asked J.J. Abrams what seemed like an obvious question: Was he interested in directing the next Star Wars movie? Disney had just paid a whopping $4.05 billion to acquire George Lucas' iconic Lucasfilm and had stated its intention to turn out new Star Wars films every two to three years beginning in 2015. The prolific Abrams, who had sparked the flagging Star Trek series in 2009, seemed a natural fit. But he quickly shot the idea down. While Star Wars was "the first movie that blew my mind in that way," he said then, he wanted to focus on original material.

Kathleen Kennedy, the 59-year-old producer who in June had been placed atop the Lucas empire, was not so easily deterred. The Lucasfilm job was just the latest beat in a remarkable 35-year career replete with hits from filmmakers as diverse as Clint Eastwood (The Bridges of Madison County), Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and, above all, Steven Spielberg -- from 1982's E.T. The Extra Terrestrial to his current Oscar contender, Lincoln.

Kennedy already had called Beth Swofford, Abrams' CAA agent, and been told Abrams was too deeply engaged in the next Star Trek movie and other obligations at Paramount -- not to mention innumerable television projects -- to consider the job. Nonetheless, Abrams agreed to meet with Kennedy on Dec. 14 at his Bad Robot offices in Santa Monica. Famously plain-spoken, she summarizes her pitch like this: "Please do Star Wars." And she had cards to play. Not only was Oscar winner Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) writing the script, but Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote 1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi, was on board to consult. Abrams "was flipping out when he found out that Michael and Larry were on the movie already," says Kennedy.

Abrams tells THR, "I learned firsthand how incredible and persuasive she is." Some -- but not all -- of his reservations were dispelled. "The thing about any pre-existing franchise -- I'd sort of done that," he says. "But when I met with Kathy, it was suddenly very tantalizing."

Kennedy, Abrams and the writers met secretly for about three hours Dec. 19, and "J.J. was just on the ceiling when I walked out the door," she recalls. But still, she says, Abrams had "very genuine concerns" about his obligations elsewhere and the impact on his wife and three kids, given the likelihood that the film would not be shot in Los Angeles. And then there was the unique nature of the franchise. "If there was any pause on J.J.'s part, it was the same pause everybody has -- including myself -- stepping into this," she says. "Which is, it's daunting."

Indeed, the six Star Wars films have grossed more than $4.3 billion at the worldwide box office and spawned an empire that includes TV spinoffs like The Clone Wars, books, theme park rides and, of course, merchandise sales. Disney has said Lucasfilm generated about $215 million in licensing revenue in 2012 without having released a Star Wars-related movie in five years. Managed correctly, Star Wars by far is the most valuable franchise in Hollywood, making Kennedy -- its new steward -- one of the most powerful figures in entertainment.

She is less clear that the first film in the new trilogy will be ready by 2015. "Our goal is to move as quickly as we can, and we'll see what happens," says Kennedy. "The timetable we care about is getting the story."