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My kids constantly bring up a quote they attribute to Benjamin Franklin, which is, roughly, “don’t believe everything you read on the internet.” I continue to be less than dazzled about the casting progress made so far on a relaunch of Star Wars, web reports continue to have me concerned and underwhelmed about the picture that JJ Abrams is putting together over there at Disney.
First, we have rumors that Harrison Ford will sign a three-picture deal to return to the new Star Wars films that JJ Abrams is putting together. Now, in a magazine called Palm Beach Illustrated, we have Carrie Fisher confirming on the record that she will bring back Princess Leia. The other thing she does is confirm what we are all thinking when asked what Princess Leia is like today. “Elderly,” she said jokingly. “She’s in an intergalactic old folks’ home.” Fisher long ago moved on to become a successful script doctor and author, and this feels to me a bit like Sally Field returning for one more installment of Gidget.
Even though George Lucas came as close as humanly possible to running Star Wars into the ground with that prequel trilogy and the unsuccessful attempt to launch all six pictures as 3D conversions before selling the whole thing to Disney, JJ Abrams is two for two in fixing franchises, after working with Tom Cruise as producers to relaunch Mission: Impossible with Ghost Protocol, and in the reboot of Star Trek. Am I the only one who finds the prospect of the original Star Wars cast to be profoundly unexciting, in the same way I felt about the last Indiana Jones movie, when Ford stayed too long at the dance? I also wish Abrams was expending his considerable talents on original projects the way his hero Steven Spielberg (excusing that Indy Jones pic) continues to do.
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I think it largely depends on who Carrie and Mark Hamill get as personal trainers for the months before filming begins.
And much needed facelift, lipo, implants, to make them look human again. Neither on of them have been particularly kind to their bodies.
Maybe they can explain it away with the news that Luke and Leia were in a near-death speeder crash?!
Ho-ho-ho. Years not kind to Jabba foe.
While Ford, Fisher & Hamill will likely be back, I think it’s a mistake to assume that the movies will center around them specifically and not a set of new, younger characters that will be the leads
Right. I find it mpossible to believe Disney paid 4 billion-with-a-B dollars on a franchise whose value lies largely with character named Luke, Leia and Han only to turn those roles over to actors too old to attract the young audience.
Not to be morbid, but what happens when the original cast passes away? Will Disney pretend the characters do not exist? They’re doing a TV show with Snow White right now, long after the actress who originated the role for Disney in the 1930s. There will be Star Wars movies being made about the original characters long after all of us are dead and movies have become holo-adventures.
They’re bound to recast the characters anyway. Why wait? They should bring back Harrison Ford like Abrams brought back Nimoy, to pass the torch,
Mark Hamill, however, does connect to this generation, as he’s the voice of the Joker in the Dark Knight animated series.
Actually he kind of resigned from doing the Joker’s voice (has stated to the press that he no longer wants to do it. Brent Spiner took over the role on Young Justice.
~
Coat
Oh, THAT’S what happened?! Loved “Red Hood” from a few years back, but without Hamill, something was very much missing. Thought it was just an outrageous oversight on the part of WB.
Exactly – they will be peripheral characters now Mike, and I don’t think it would be the same without them!
J.J. Abrams actually directed Mission Impossible 3, and then produced Ghost Protocol. You are correct though, in the fact he helped relaunch the series when Cruise went back to Paramount.
I think having problems with the reboot already is only going to set you up for disappointment, Mike. Breath. It’s a movie- we all want it to be good. Can we just wait and see?
Idk about this…Umm, she kinda seems a little out of it.
I’m not worried because I’m going to assume JJ is going to do the same thing with Carrie, Mark and Harrison that he did with Nimoy in the Star Trek reboot. An extended cameo tying new and old together while re-launching the series with a new cast.
I imagine that’s how it’s going to pan out, I just hope it’s done better than Nimoy in the last Trek film. Poor guy was nothing more than a Talking Exposition Machine.
I would have reservations, but Leonard Nimoy in ‘Star Trek’ was fantastic. J.J. knows what he is doing.
“Am I the only one who finds the prospect of the original Star Wars cast to be profoundly unexciting…”
Yes.
Seeing Luke, Leia and Han back on the big screen in a new Star Wars by people with proven track records for telling great stories? What’s not to get excited about?
I’m personally excited for these movies but I agree with the comment above that the returning characters should be supporting roles rather then carry the entire movie. As much as I love Han Solo we all know Harrison Ford will not be around forever and that is why it’s vital Disney creates new, memorable characters to carry this franchise into the future.
MIke, are you nuts that’s what makes this exciting! Brining back to old cast! Otherwise it will fell like the first three “Jarjar” films and then the only thing we care about will be the score!
G
If you read the SW extended universe, you see the probabilities. The Skywalker kids, Mara Jade, the Solo kids figure prominently. Probably less a handoff as a situation where the younger cast members will be doing the “heavy lifting” with the old crew still prominent in the storyline.
I can’t wait to see the Millenium Falcon back in action
I’m really looking forward to Carrie’s opening bed pan scene.
They could make mileage with an arthritic Hans Solo though, a kind of running gag. The series itself is ripe for overhaul and is fertile ground for a decent dramatist. Lucas just did not have a clue, he remains the King of the Nerds and was so far out of touch he might as well of been directing from a 3 way conference line run out of his Mother’s basement.
You see the vast difference between Spielberg and Lucas. Lucas is just a one trick pony who made a career out of one movie, and originally was full of crap about this entire epic ever existing.he again proved this when after the first Raiders movie, Spielberg was eager to do another one and asked Lucas what’s the next one.Lucas replied, I don’t know. ..But he did laugh all the way to the bank.
Regarding Star Wars…
After three decades of brand burnout, one is reminded of a simple truth.
The opposite of love is not hate — it’s indifference.
People thought that recasting Kirk and Spock would never work and I was shocked to accept it immediately, mostly because of the smart bridges JJ Abrams built. He’ll make a fine film, no doubt, but it won’t be an original film. For a younger generation of filmmakers, the personal stories they tell are about other movies they’ve grown up watching. Some do it better than others and with some verse and Abrams is one of those. And for the record, despite all the deficits that film possessed, I did enjoy seeing Harrison Ford don the fedora one last time and remind everyone why he was one of the biggest movie stars in the world. When people have entertained you in the past, goodwill remains.
Sorry, there was nothing wrong with Harrison Ford in the fourth Indy film, and I must say I’m somewhat surprised Mike that you were disappointed in his return to that role. If anything, it was Ford and his performance that most people felt was the only good thing about “Crystal Skull.”
I thought he did a great job. Yes, he was older, but it’s what an older Indiana Jones would be like. The movie was subpar because of the story and some shoddy special effects, not because Ford stayed “too long at the dance.”
I’m pretty sure that the return of Hamill, Fisher, and Ford for the sequel trilogy will be for secondary, supporting roles. I don’t think they will be the main characters. We’ll probably have Hamill dieing or sacrificing himself like Sir Alec did in “A New Hope.” This will be a passing of the torch type deal.
The movie was subpar also thanks to the participation of squirrely, one-note Shia Lebouf.
I fail to understand how Lucas “almost ran the franchise to the ground” with three installments that made $2.5 billion combined and opened up the Star Wards universe to a whole new generation of eyeballs.
I agree that I wish J.J. Abrams would make an original film (and while SUPER 8 was “original,” its chief purpose was a nostalgic trip down Spielberg Memory Lane). I love J.J. I love what he’s done with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and STAR TREK, and I will confess that his involvement in STAR WARS: EPISODE VII invokes more interest in the project from me than I would’ve had otherwise (I love the original trilogy, but I think the over saturation of poor STAR WARS product over the past 30 years has turned me off to the franchise), but I truly wish I knew what “A J.J. Abrams Film” looks like. Right now I only have J.J.’s take on previously existing franchises. I just want to know what he can do that’s so uniquely him. He clearly has the skill and talent to do that, I’m just anxious for him to finally make that leap.
As for the return of aged characters, it is very possible to bring the characters back in a respectful manner, the way J.J. did with Leonard Nimoy in STAR TREK, while also possessing the awareness to not give into both fan and star demands by forcing an unnecessary appearance by William Shatner. Sylvester Stallone also proved in 2006 that you could bring back aged characters in a respectful manner no matter how cynical and skeptical audiences may be when he delivered ROCKY BALBOA, easily the best film in the series since the seminal original.
So yes, we do get some disappointments like CRYSTAL SKULL, but anything is possible as long as you have the right person orchestrating the film. And with J.J., I think they have the right person. That’s why I’m actually interested in seeing the film now.
While I don’t find myself on the same side of an argument with Shia LaBeouf very often, he was correct about CRYSTAL SKULL. He said Spielberg and Harrison Ford pleaded with George Lucas to change the artifact (which had already been debunked in the real world). But Lucas balked and the project remained stalled for years until the other two capitulated.
I agree with LaBeouf that three very powerful Hollywood figures SHOULD have come to an agreement before committing hundreds of millions of dollars to a venture, especially one that people had waited for decades to see.
Which brings me to the new STAR WARS trilogy. Clearly Lucas sees that their are visionaries who can continue his mission statement past his limitations as a filmmaker.
Anyone else remember the shrieks when the “first” trilogy was announced to be prequels that would not contain any of the beloved human characters? Well, J.J. is attempting to placate those diehards while opening up the STAR WARS universe to newcomers.
Just as long as the “heroes in peril” portion that involves the original characters saving their kids happens in the FIRST film, and then is NOT repeated ad nauseam.
And nobody has heard from Billie Dee Williams?
You can’t go home again. The characters (as played by these actors) lived happily ever after…the end. Now I get to see the answers to questions I already answered as a child and the answers will likely be wrong (see the prequels).
Abrams worked a miracle with Star Trek so I am cautiously optimistic. Not excited though. I’m waiting for the magic when we find the original piece that is “next Star Wars”. I can’t be bothered with all this desperately trying to recreate and cling to lightning in a bottle.
This “Star Wars” reboot is beginning to sound an AWFUL lot like “Space Cowboys”.
If anyone can bring this franchise back to life it’s J.J. Abrams. He did solid work with MI 3 & Star Trek. He LOVES STAR WARS and that’s good for all of us. Harrison Ford wasn’t the problem in Crystal Skull. The script was. Plain and simple. Ford could easily be Indy or Solo again with the proper material. Everyone should be a little giddy at the thought of getting another great Star Wars in our lifetime. God knows Lucas wasn’t headed in a good direction.
This is critical to the success of all future Star Wars movies: KEEP LUCAS AWAY FROM EVERYTHING!!! It’s going to be tough for Kennedy and Abrams to pull off, but they have to keep him away from script input, script approval, and the set.
She is waaaaaaaaaay too old guys.
Chloe moretz should be cast in star wars.
If they’re in it of course she should be in it. She looks better than the other two put together!
I don’t blame Harrison Ford for the ‘Indy mess.’ The producers, the studio dithered and waited NINETEEN YEARS before moving forward with a new picture. As for Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia on a walker, no, that’s not interesting.