Yes, it was confirmed by Disney/Lucasfilm yesterday that none other than JJ Abrams is the director for Episode VII. This was something that a website named The Wrap reported on Friday and which spread to every film or entertainment industry website in every single corner of the internet within hours. The reaction to this news by many was mixed. Some called it a good choice, while others felt JJ was either too safe or too unoriginal of a director for the new era of Star Wars films.
My reaction: A mix of disappointment, envy, and perhaps a bit of resentment thrown in for good measure. Look I will be honest, JJ is a competent director. He does a very good job of putting together interesting and exciting sequences. Take one look at his 2009 Star Trek and you can see a series of very visually compelling sequences hung together to form a entertaining whole. However that whole falls apart when even the tiniest bit of scrutiny or logic is applied. In short: he has never really been good at putting together a great film start to finish, one with a very strong through line. In fact, I would argue he has yet to make a truly great film period.
But you argue that even the best of the Star Wars films is nothing but great sequences strung together to make an entertaining whole? This is true. I can certainly concede that and understand why some might feel he is the right director for the first episode of this new trilogy. The truth is that those who have read my post regarding who I felt should have been the director of this new film know that I was aiming pretty high with some of those choices. I had wanted someone who could elevate the material and make a Star Wars film that both honors the previous six episodes, but also paved its own path visually. I wanted Episode VII to be a reinvention of Star Wars, not a carbon copy of what worked in the past. So to me JJ is simply the wrong choice. Someone like Brad Bird or Matthew Vaughn would have been so much better.
It is true that I am very much excited for JJ’s follow up to his 2009 Trek: Star Trek Into Darkness. But to be honest, my excitement for that film stems more from seeing what Benedict Cumberbatch does with the role of “John Harrison” than anything else. I mean the trailer makes the film look great and it would seem that JJ and company are swinging for the fences in terms of story for this one. They have that great cast back and it would seem a bit more budget to work with as well. So yes, I am excited to see this follow up. Does that run counter to my feelings about JJ for Star Wars? No, I don’t think so. I can be excited for one film and still feel JJ is wrong for another.
Which kind of brings me to both my feelings of envy and of resentment. Let’s start with envy first, shall we? With this announcement, JJ Abrams essentially is in creative control of two of the major Sci-Fi franchises of the last 50 years. He is responsible for the reinvention of Star Trek and will be the one who sets the tone for this new Star Wars trilogy. He is, by and large, the luckiest person in Hollywood. A feeling I would imagine many a director in Hollywood feels as well toward JJ right now, among others. I joked with a friend that it would seem JJ Abrams has made a deal with the devil. Two major franchises! One of them is Star Wars! How lucky do you have to be to land that gig?
Yes I know the stress on him will be enormous. There is a lot riding on Episode VII financially for Disney, so I understand the immense pressures on all involved to get this right. But again it is Star Wars! I would love to know just how many directors went after that gig, how many pitched themselves to Kathleen Kennedy, and how many more pushed (cough Jon Favreau cough) to have a shot at it. To think that JJ initially turned it down.
About that turning it down thing. Initially JJ Abrams told Disney and Lucasfilm no to directing Episode VII. He said he felt it would be disrespectful to Star Trek and all of its fans for him to leave to direct Star Wars. Good reasons JJ and a classy move I would add. However, either the script by Michael Arndt was just too good or the money just too much for JJ to pass on it. I would bet on the former if I am being honest. JJ doesn’t need to do it for the paycheck, he has long been past needing to worry about that. So it was the script. But still JJ did an about face and made it seem like he never really cared about respecting Star Trek or its fans,with myself being counted as one of them.
The truth is I am fan of both of these properties. I love each of them for the things that make them different and unique and what they bring to the Sci-FI genre. As a Star Trek fan though, I am a tad resentful to see JJ just leave Star Trek to go and direct Star Wars. It is a lot like having someone dump you when the prettiest girl in school now has an interest in them. Yes, I am an adult. My feelings are not hurt really here. But it just feels insincere for JJ to even say he wanted to respect Star Trek when he initially declined. True he may have done so for that reason. But to turn around a week or two later and take the job makes it clear that his commitment to Star Trek was never that firm to begin with.
While I can appreciate the fact that he resurrected Star Trek and made it cool, I kind of lament that he will not be there to make the third, and presumed final, film in this series. I do believe the plan always was for three films in this series and then perhaps send Trek back to television. It is really a shame that someone else will be directing that third film and not JJ. Maybe it will be a great director who steps in? I can certainly hope for that as a fan of Star Trek.
One thing is certain, this whole thing has created a mess for Paramount’s marketing department. How can they have JJ go out there to talk about Into Darkness when everyone knows the questions will be all about Star Wars? Perhaps they will limit his promotional obligations in order to eliminate the unintentional exposure Star Wars could get from it. It certainly is a bad position for JJ to put them in. I am unsure why Disney did not wait to announce until Into Darkness was in theaters. It would have been a better move. Apparently they did not wish to wait that long. Good luck Paramount getting the press to stay on point and ask about the film you are releasing.
In the end, JJ is far from the worst choice to direct Episode VII, He is just not my choice. If Disney had announced over this past weekend that Brad Bird was the director of Episode VII, I would have been ecstatic. No really, I would have been over the moon on it. As it stands, I certainly will be rooting for JJ Abrams to make a great Star Wars film. I know, based on his track record, that he will cast it well. But I also know the film will probably not be a very innovative one. It will be safe. I suppose safe Star Wars is better than bad Star Wars, right?
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