Well, we can't say with certainty that these won't suck, but the names they've announced so far don't fill me with dread, which is the most positive thing I can say about Star Wars at this time.

The guy who wrote X-Men 3?

KEEP IT UP AND I'LL SPRAY YOU IN THE FACE, BITCH

DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I'M THE JUGGERNAUT, BITCH

Such poetic use of words.

LOL! First of all, Star Wars doesn't need saving. Since when do film franchises need saving. You guys are sometimes a bit too melodramatic. Secondly, I doubt Lucas cares. If he was worried about that, he would have never sold it. Besides, he's probably secure in the knowledge that the only reason it exists was because of him.

As for the news, the directors I've heard mention suck ass. Kasdan would be a great choice to write the scripts, but having three separate screenwriters doesn't sound like the greatest idea. It's better to just let Kasdan do them all. In spite of Kasdan, I still have no faith these will be worth a shit nor live up to the originals. They could be better than the prequels, but that's faint praise.

So who would you choose to direct them, given the directors that have already said no?

In 10 years as a professional screenwriter Simon Kinberg hasn't written a single script that wasn't 100% Grade A bullshit. Everything this guys touched has been GARBAGE.

Bond and Star Trek, to name two.

aren't 7, 8, and 9 supposed to be another trilogy? having 3 different guys write each part has me a little nervous...

In fairness, he was only paying homage to this (NSFW):

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bSuvOVH0aSQ?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And Kasdan finally returning to Star Wars is the most exciting bit of movie news I've heard in a damn long while.

I disagree with you as Lucas is one of the most insecure filmakers I have ever seen especially towards his fans. Lucas does care, and that is why he is constantly revising and defending the Prequels and Special Editions til wits end. Other directors always acknowledge movies that may have not turned out so well, but not Lucas as he gives you his bullshit spin all the time.

For instance Robert Zemeckis talks alot in the Back to the Future Trilogy material that he never had a grand scheme for sequels even though he could have lied and said he did. He acknowledged that fans did take to well to the sequels, and talked about the flaws in them. Sly Stallone talks extensively about the fans hatred of Rocky V, and felt he needed to redeem himself with Rocky VI as he felt he owed the fans one. Coppola talks about Godfather III and how it didn't live up to I & II, and admitted he was having financial problems at the time and took job and was collecting a paycheck instead of trying to make a great movie. Lucas will NEVER admit that maybe the Prequels weren't well received by the fans because they weren't that good, as his ego wouldn't never let him admit that like other directors.

All of these directors NEVER blame the fans for the failings of their movies. But if you listen to Lucas's interviews over the years it is always the fans fault. Whether he feels the Original Trilogy generation was just too old to enjoy the Prequels as they couldn't feel like kids again. Or he says that fans just wanted to see Darth Vader kill people for 2 hours and that is another reason why they didn't like Episode III. I could go on and on about his insecurities about the Star Wars movies.....

Well said mcnabb.

I give Lucas credit for doing a gut-check, and realizing that Star Wars deserves to live on, even if he didn't have it in him any more to make the kinds of movies the fans were craving for.

That's what they did for 4, 5, 6.

1, 2 and 3 were all written by the same guy...

And Kasdan wrote Empire and Jedi after Lucas wrote ANH.

This really isn't that big of a deal. Lucas will have just enough input to make sure the three line up, but otherwise having three different voices could be a great thing, especially depending on the tone for each movie.

Anyone else think, that with three different writers for the films, there's the possibility they'll shoot these back-to-back?

Maybe they'll hedge their bets and shoot Ep7 on its own. Then if that does well, they'll already have the screenplays for the next two and can greenlight and shoot them concurrently or back-to-back. That way they have a near annual release cycle for the three films, instead of the 3 year gaps between the previous two film trilogies.

Wouldn't surprise me.

What the heck did I miss? How did what I said piss him off so much? Does he think I'm some Star Wars hating a-hole because I pointed out what the George Lucas Educational Foundation does? Was something deleted? What the heck?

I love Star Wars...even the prequels.

I love the Lord of the Rings release time of each year for 3 years rather then the SW model of every 3 years. In a sense, the 3 years is TOO much anticipation for a movie, whereas every year keeps it fresh but is just enough time to get hyped.

I could maybe see them doing one per year, but I doubt they would want to break the tradition of releasing them in May. It's not like Harry Potter where they had to be in more of a hurry because the kids were growing, and I doubt they split any of these into 2 parts.

BTW, add Batman to that list of franchises that needed saving.

Oh there'll be kids in the new SW movies

For Harry Potter, they took 10 years to release 8 films. A few were a year after the previous, with a few being released a year and a half after the previous, and one released two years after. Only the two-parter for the last book had its installments released 6 months apart.

Those weren't, strictly speaking, shot back-to-back or concurrently, excepting the two-part last one, although they typically ended going into production not long after the previous one premiered.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_(film_series)


Another series that has had annual releases is the Twilight series. In that case, the two-parter for the last book had its releases a year apart, even though the films were shot together.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twi..._(film_series)


I think studios are tending towards keeping the films in a franchise 1 year apart, even if they are filmed concurrently. The franchises that had films released 6 months apart have not fared as well critically or commercially as hoped (Back to the Future, Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean). Annual releases appear to be more popular release schedule now.

A rumor about a film that doesn't even have a script yet, and if it did, it would be top secret? Anything currently floating around the interwebbies isn't worth fuck-all.

Sure, if you want 20 years between sequels.

Well, depending on your viewpoint, more good news from the LucasFilm camp: Rick McCallum is gone (retired):

http://www.slashfilm.com/star-wars-b...carrie-fisher/

I saw Kevin Smith speak Saturday night, and while he wants no part of the new movies "Trust me, you DON'T want me directing Star Wars...but I'll be the first in line," he does think Jon Favreau would be the perfect choice.

I don't even want Lucas looking over the scripts. People keep saying he will make sure they all add up. You mean just like the prequels did with the original trilogy? Lucas shouldn't be involved in any way. I would go as far as he shouldn't even be allowed at the premiers for the films. Make him buy a ticket a week after they are out.

That IS good news.

Yes absolutely. Probably stings a little for him, but I'm sure he has a nice golden parachute. That will make it better.