General Star Wars News

[brideck]

so j.j Abram’s had to do all the work to set up palatines return in 1 movie.

This statement only makes sense if you think that Palpatine's return was a necessary (or even planned) element of the new trilogy, which... man, there were a lot of directions to go with that story that wouldn't have needed that.

 

[Agent H]

This statement only makes sense if you think that Palpatine's return was a necessary (or even planned) element of the new trilogy, which... man, there were a lot of directions to go with that story that wouldn't have needed that.

You can debate whether it was needed but I do believe it was always Abram’s plan.

 

[brideck]

You can debate whether it was needed but I do believe it was always Abram’s plan.

Abrams isn't really known for his planning. And also, he wasn't even supposed to write/direct the third movie in the first place, so not sure why that would have been the case.

I'm on record as believing that there was no overarching plan for that trilogy (outside of Lucas' initial ideas which were chucked out the window upon delivery), which is a massive problem.

 

[Agent H]

Abrams isn't really known for his planning. And also, he wasn't even supposed to write/direct the third movie in the first place, so not sure why that would have been the case.

I'm on record as believing that there was no overarching plan for that trilogy (outside of Lucas' initial ideas which were chucked out the window upon delivery), which is a massive problem.

Than who was?

 

[brideck]

Than who was?

Who was planning? No one. The idea seemed to be to write a first movie that left some things open so the next movie could progress them. The second writer then got to address those things how they saw fit and then leave more things open for the final movie to resolve.

Colin Treverrow wrote that final movie that was supposed to address the things that The Last Jedi asked/introduced, but it was thrown away when Disney kowtowed to the loud, angry contingent on the Internet, which left Abrams a ridiculously short amount of time to do... something... ignoring the previous maligned movie as much as he could. And so? He probably remembered reading Dark Empire when he was a kid and thought that'd be cool, even though it's not foreshadowed in the previous two movies at all.

It kind of reminded me of the old DC Challenge comic series. In that, each issue was written by a different creative team and had to introduce a new character and end on a cliffhanger that the next team would have to resolve. It's silly and fun, but in no way tells a cohesive story.

 

[MisterPenguin]

'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith' Returning to Theaters - The Walt Disney Company

Lucasfilm announced the return of 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith' to the big screen on April 25 to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary.

thewaltdisneycompany.com

 

[erasure fan1]

I'm on record as believing that there was no overarching plan for that trilogy

If you listen to a lot of people here, George didn't have a plan for the OT either. So it's ok, it's just par for star wars.

 

[brideck]

If you listen to a lot of people here, George didn't have a plan for the OT either. So it's ok, it's just par for star wars.

No, I think that's true, too. There's no real evidence in the development of the first movie that the family relationship stuff was planned from the beginning. That may even be what convinced them that this could be a fine approach to the new trilogy, but then they weren't brave enough to actually follow through on that approach.

 

[Agent H]

Who was planning? No one. The idea seemed to be to write a first movie that left some things open so the next movie could progress them. The second writer then got to address those things how they saw fit and then leave more things open for the final movie to resolve.

Colin Treverrow wrote that final movie that was supposed to address the things that The Last Jedi asked/introduced, but it was thrown away when Disney kowtowed to the loud, angry contingent on the Internet, which left Abrams a ridiculously short amount of time to do... something... ignoring the previous maligned movie as much as he could. And so? He probably remembered reading Dark Empire when he was a kid and thought that'd be cool, even though it's not foreshadowed in the previous two movies at all.

It kind of reminded me of the old DC Challenge comic series. In that, each issue was written by a different creative team and had to introduce a new character and end on a cliffhanger that the next team would have to resolve. It's silly and fun, but in no way tells a cohesive story.

No who was supposed to direct?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I’ve heard of the critical drinker…but never watched a clip

So the one the other day about the Kennedy news is…interesting

 

[brideck]

No who was supposed to direct?

Treverrow (Jurassic World) was to be the writer/director of episode IX. There's a leaked script out there somewhere from that version of the project, but I've never read it.

 

[Agent H]

I’ve heard of the critical drinker…but never watched a clip

So the one the other day about the Kennedy news is…interesting

Don’t even bother with him. dude’s a textbook grifter and has openly admitted to criticizing things without watching them.

 

[Agent H]

Treverrow (Jurassic World) was to be the writer/director of episode IX. There's a leaked script out there somewhere from that version of the project, but I've never read it.

Ah thanks I was wrong I’m sorry.

 

[brideck]

Ah thanks I was wrong I’m sorry.

No worries. The development of that trilogy is a really interesting case study in how not to handle a story, even regardless of the fact that it was Star Wars. Like I struggle to think of any movie series of a planned length where there wasn't a core story team keeping the ship running in the same direction. (I don't really consider open-ended series like M:I or F&F as the same sort of thing, as they're just building forever until either the cast gets too old or the audience disappears.)

 

[erasure fan1]

No, I think that's true, too. There's no real evidence in the development of the first movie that the family relationship stuff was planned from the beginning. That may even be what convinced them that this could be a fine approach to the new trilogy, but then they weren't brave enough to actually follow through on that approach.

I think the difference is Lucas had ideas, he didn't write the scripts first, and things shifted as it went. But there were ideas there for him to go from. Compared to zero plans, no idea for the direction things would go. And then play choose your own adventure with the next director. I think that's the difference. No one starts a novel, movie, a video game... And has it figured out 100% before they start. That's not how it generally works. Even a basic framework will guide you through the process. And it should change, it should evolve, that's just the creative process. Lucas started out with ideas. He had an idea in his head of how he wanted it to go. Disney had nothing. The only thing they planned was to move away from the OT characters.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Fascinating article. Cleanup on aisle 4.

Kathleen Kennedy Speaks On Her Lucasfilm Plans — She Is Not Soon Retiring — & The Films That Will Keep Her In ‘Star Wars’ Orbit For Years To Come

Kathleen Kennedy Speaks On Her Lucasfilm Future -- She Is Not soon Retiring -- & The Films That Will Keep Her In 'Star Wars' Mode For Years To Come

deadline.com

What’s really interesting is how emphatic she was in demonstrating how involved she is in active projects. Name drops projects underway for The Mandalorian, and those with Shawn Levy, a trilogy with Simon Kinberg, James Mangold, Taika Waititi.

Yet nothing whatsoever on the Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film that was supposedly next in the production line, or anything about the Rey trilogy. Or the Rian Johnson trilogy. Did the Deadline stenograp- I mean, reporter not know to inquire as to the status of these projects? It’s also weird she didn’t bring them up.

All the announced, then cancelled, projects makes me think Walt Disney Imagineering is in charge of Star Wars, not KK.

 

[brideck]

I think the difference is Lucas had ideas, he didn't write the scripts first, and things shifted as it went. But there were ideas there for him to go from. Compared to zero plans, no idea for the direction things would go. And then play choose your own adventure with the next director. I think that's the difference. No one starts a novel, movie, a video game... And has it figured out 100% before they start. That's not how it generally works. Even a basic framework will guide you through the process. And it should change, it should evolve, that's just the creative process. Lucas started out with ideas. He had an idea in his head of how he wanted it to go.

Absolutely. All true. My only quibble with Lucas (and the MCU is kind of the same way) in this space is when he would mythologize things as having all being planned from the start, when that is, as you say, not generally the way that creative works are produced. And when there's plenty of evidence in his own creations that it wasn't the case.

I have no problem with Lucas' rather minor retcons to change Luke's father, etc. because they worked, uh, pretty well I'd say, within the story he was telling.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Don’t even bother with him. dude’s a textbook grifter and has openly admitted to criticizing things without watching them.

Well that’s certainly understood

But he’s only half wrong here

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think the difference is Lucas had ideas, he didn't write the scripts first, and things shifted as it went. But there were ideas there for him to go from. Compared to zero plans, no idea for the direction things would go. And then play choose your own adventure with the next director. I think that's the difference. No one starts a novel, movie, a video game... And has it figured out 100% before they start. That's not how it generally works. Even a basic framework will guide you through the process. And it should change, it should evolve, that's just the creative process. Lucas started out with ideas. He had an idea in his head of how he wanted it to go. Disney had nothing. The only thing they planned was to move away from the OT characters.

Absolutely. All true. My only quibble with Lucas (and the MCU is kind of the same way) in this space is when he would mythologize things as having all being planned from the start, when that is, as you say, not generally the way that creative works are produced. And when there's plenty of evidence in his own creations that it wasn't the case.

I have no problem with Lucas' rather minor retcons to change Luke's father, etc. because they worked, uh, pretty well I'd say, within the story he was telling.

Lucas was a scatterbrain numbskull who couldn’t focus on the scripts

I think by now we all know the backstory

They were all thrown together/seat of the pants

Jedi was in production before the script was written…same with big parts of the prequels.

It wasn’t him…it was really the team…including the safeguards/descenting opinions…

Which is why getting rid of them all didn’t work too well.

But that’s just the thing…Disney should have NEVER replicated winging it.

It was the one takeaway that was a no brainer

They KNEW they had problems prior

And they Avengers - on a master plan - had just been released when they bought LFL

Just inexcusable mistakes.

And they botched it about as completely as you can with a bankable property with huge fan base

 

[Tony the Tigger]

The big miss in the sequels was not reuniting the big three in one scene.

The bigger miss was not filming them before the prequels.