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'Star Wars: Episode VII' - Who Should Direct the Sequel?

By: Sean OConnell on October 31, 2012 at 9:15AM Comments (183)
The minute after it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures’ purchase of LucasFilm would result in the release of Star Wars: Episode VII in 2015, fans flooded social media with hopeful suggestions on who should be hired to shepherd what sounds like the start of a brand new trilogy. 
 
Even more than potential casting, the hiring of a director for a new Star Wars movie will drive the aesthetic of this next phase of films. Does the new company go out and get a digital wizard who can carry the torch of George Lucas’ shiny prequel trilogy? Do they go in the complete opposite direction by finding a hands-on, realistic filmmaker who can ground the science-fiction in ways Lucas’ original trilogy managed to do? Will the new Star Wars movies by character-driven dramas, or effects-driven blockbusters constructed to peddle more toys? 
 
These are crucial questions that need to be answered in the coming months, so we figured we’d do pour part and throw out the five directors we’d love to see behind the camera on the seventh Star Wars movie. We’ve picked them for different reasons, which we try to explain below. Do you agree with any of them? Is there someone that we left out? Let us know in the comments section. For now, the director of Star Wars: Episode VII should be: 
 
1. Neill Blomkamp
A no-brainer. The South African filmmaker spun sci-fi gold out of “straw” (i.e. – a limited budget) for the fantastic District 9, and we’re hearing amazing things about his next picture, Elysium. He’s a sci-fi director who does not sacrifice character for effects (though he’s extremely competent in both fields of play). His scheduling lines up well, as he could be coming off of post-production on Elysium right as the Star Wars sequel is ready to gear up. Hiring Blomkamp for the next Star Wars movie would be a dream come true. 
 
2. J.J. Abrams
Could the man who saved Star Trek (and rescued the Mission: Impossible franchise) do the same for Star Wars? It’s wholly possible. Abrams knows his way around effects-driven sci-fi, and proved with Trek that he’s not afraid to tinker with the collective memories of passionate fanboys if it’s in service of a story he actively supports. He’s friends with Steven Spielberg. He’s wrapping up Star Trek Into Darkness. If Abrams could get the new Star Wars trilogy off onto a strong foot, geek monuments would be erected in his honor for decades to come. 
 
3. Duncan Jones
Another sci-fi veteran who has shown he can work with a minimalistic budget (as he did in the stellar Moon) as well as the expectations of a larger, star-driven vehicle (as he did with Source Code). Jones is a self-professed science-fiction nerd – having David Bowie, aka “Ziggy Stardust,” as a dad can do that to a man – who built a reputation as a gifted storyteller with his first two features. He reportedly has been shopped for major franchise gigs, from Man of Steel to The Wolverine. He’s currently prepping a sci-fi story called Mute, but you can bet that would be bagged if Star Wars were dangled like a carrot. 
 
4. Ben Affleck
My “out-of-left-field” selection. But think about it. Affleck adores the grit and scratch of ‘70s cinema, and the original Star Wars trilogy fits that mold. He’s familiar with the ins and outs of tentpole franchises, having carried more than a few in his day. He also has a nose for science-fiction, a genre he has explored through various roles in the past. Affleck has proven he can direct. He could even recruit his old pal Kevin Smith, a bona-fide Star Wars junkie, for script rewrites. (That’s not a joke.) I’m not saying it will happen, but if Affleck were handed the Star Wars franchise, I certainly wouldn’t complain. 
 
5. Genndy Tartakovsky
In 2003, animator Genndy Tartakovsky co-created an animated Clone Wars series for Cartoon Network. It was a smash hit with most fans. Since, Tartakovsky has stayed busy, most notably with the recent Hotel Transylvania, which made serious bank at the box office. Having him try his hand at live-action isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. Just ask Brad Bird and Andrew Stanton, two animators who recently made the leap to live-action (with varying degrees of success). He knows how stuff. He’s a friend of the LucasFilm family. Tartakovsky just might be the man for the job.
 
Who else? A total newcomer? A veteran Hollywood presence? The choices are infinite, and the selection is vital. Let’s see who we get.  
 
Follow along on Twitter @Sean_OConnell and @Fandango
 

Comments (183)Leave a Comment

  • Nov 2nd 2012 1:01PM

    100000726081798  said...

    I have few more choices for a possible director for the new "Disney" Star Wars. Ang Lee, director of the great movie "Crouching Tiger, hidden Dragon" would be one choice. The other would be Zhang Yimou, director of the great movie "Hero" which starred kung fu superstar Jet Li. Hey, everybody, how about Kenneth Branagh, who directed "Thor?" And what about David Lynch, who was originally asked by George Lucas to direct one of the original 3 Stars Wars, but turned it down? Also, here's some food for thought. Which one of the great directors of the past could have done a more than credible job of directing Star Wars? David Lean? John Ford? Stanley Kubrick? King Vidor? Sergei Bondarchuk? Akira Kurosawa? Frederico Fellini? Sergio Leone?

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  • Nov 5th 2012 12:55PM

    tiqvah  said...

    I'd actually stay further away from the 'great' directors. As someone that established has to pee all over the tree to make it theirs rather than going with the legacy.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 12:49PM

    ursamajour  said...

    I like all these suggestions except Affleck. Something feels off there. Blomkamp would be fantastic, I think. And Tartakovsky should have been higher on the list. His "Clone Wars" shorts were the first things I had seen that felt like what the prequels should have been. I just don't know how he would do at live action. Perhaps a collaboration between Blomkamp and Tartakovsky would be the best, with Lucas producing, naturally.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 12:36PM

    1628391268  said...

    Ben Affleck did a great job with 'The Town' but he's still too green for my taste. My pics would be Spielberg, Nolan, Ridley Scott, P. Jackson, Whedon or R. Zemeckis. John Williams MUST do the score, that is non-negotiable and an absolute deal breaker.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 5:35PM

    513962561  said...

    Everything you just said.. I Agree. Whedon may be the overwhelming popular vote, I think Ridley Scott or Peter Jackson would do a great job, however I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) both are working on other projects (Jackson with the 3 part Hobbit movie & Halo and Scott with Prometheus 2 and a few other things) I don't think we'd find anyone arguing for a score from anyone but John Williams.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 12:25PM

    100003867001434  said...

    My vote for director of the new Star Wars films is David Yates.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 11:43AM

    615226354  said...

    Where has everyone been? Forget these suggested directors. They do not cut it. Am I the only one here who has seen SKYLINE? Talk about a fantastic combination of real life and animated video combined to produce a movie that bad dreams are made of! And that is an excellent impression. Vote for THE BROTHERS STRAUSE as the new directors for the new SW franchise!!

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 12:55PM

    1278068926  said...

    OK both you and twilightsmystery are wrong, in different ways. I agree with twilightsmystery's idea, but they didn't give enough reason. The thing is, in most cases, only the main star of the show actually gets a decent career outside of Disney, and that doesn't even occur much. There's only a handful of actual stars. Additionally, Disney doesn't make many memorable movies. I think their best so far was Pirates of the Caribbean. And even that saga isn't at the level that Star Wars is at. Plus, there are Disney fans and Disney haters. A large portion of Star Wars fans are not Disney fans, since Star Wars is a cult classic and Disney is very mainstream. Overall, Star Wars would have been better off if it had been sold to Spielburg.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 12:56PM

    twilightsmystery  said...

    I didn't say anything about breaking their bank and I really don't care WHO makes the movies. It's a bad idea. If Lucas wanted the saga to be 9 episodes, he certainly could have made that happen at some point in the 35 years since A New Hope was released. You obviously haven't done your research very well, however, as evidenced in this quote to MTV by Mr. Lucas himself: "This was never planned as a nine-episode work." The media (pounced when) I made an offhand comment, 'It might be fun to come back when everyone's 80 and do another one of these', but I never had any intention of doing that." (...to be continued)

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 1:00PM

    twilightsmystery  said...

    The prequel trilogy already did enough damage to the franchise through poor story lines, bad acting, idiotic characters, and the use of CGI elements for characters (both new and old) that would previously have been performed through puppetry, which severely reduced the believability of those characters, IMHO. Any future installments seem certain to simply take this damage to the next level.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 1:48PM

    yajairobi  said...

    Completely agree with you,no more should be made

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  • Nov 3rd 2012 3:39PM

    100000613534664  said...

    Unless of course, they model it after the pre-established EU. Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy was incredible and the New Jedi Order arc was just breathtaking.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 12:57PM

    1278068926  said...

    Okay this comment was supposed to be a reply on the comment below this. I even clicked the correct reply button. Whatever.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 1:00PM

    twilightsmystery  said...

    The same thing is happening to me. My replies are going under the wrong thread.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 1:03PM

    twilightsmystery  said...

    YES! While I still think Star Wars should be left alone as-is, Speilberg would have at least had an inkling of an idea of how to continue with this franchise.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 11:30AM

    twilightsmystery  said...

    UGH! Am I the ONLY Star Wars fan who thinks the idea of Disney creating more movies in the franchise is a horrible idea?!?! The original trilogy was AWESOME, then the prequel trilogy came along and, while it was engaging and told the story of how Anakin Skywalker was seduced by the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, the movies didn't have anywhere near the attraction that the original three had. And now Disney is planning not only an Episode VII, but also is planning to release ANOTHER new movie every two to three years? They're going to destroy Star Wars and I, for one, refuse to go see any new movies that are released, regardless of who writes, directs, or acts in them.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 12:22PM

    100003867001434  said...

    First, Disney isn't a bad company to be doing this movie series. Just because the word Disney conjures up childhood images doesn't mean it is an immature company to create movies. Secondly, Lucas always intended for there to be 9 episodes, so if has decided to sell his company why shouldn't the new owners move forward with the original idea? Lastly, I'm sure your refusal to go to the new movies isn't going to break the Disney bank.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 1:01PM

    twilightsmystery  said...

    (copying my replies under the correct thread...I HOPE!) I didn't say anything about breaking their bank and I really don't care WHO makes the movies. It's a bad idea. If Lucas wanted the saga to be 9 episodes, he certainly could have made that happen at some point in the 35 years since A New Hope was released. You obviously haven't done your research very well, however, as evidenced in this quote to MTV by Mr. Lucas himself: "This was never planned as a nine-episode work." The media (pounced when) I made an offhand comment, 'It might be fun to come back when everyone's 80 and do another one of these', but I never had any intention of doing that." (...to be continued)

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 1:02PM

    twilightsmystery  said...

    The prequel trilogy already did enough damage to the franchise through poor story lines, bad acting, idiotic characters, and the use of CGI elements for characters (both new and old) that would previously have been performed through puppetry, which severely reduced the believability of those characters, IMHO. Any future installments seem certain to simply take this damage to the next level.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 11:24AM

    624265619  said...

    JJ ABRAMS. come on. lost, fringe, star trek, mission impossible, super 8, all amazing flicks. ben affleck? come on guys, hes a decent actor, but what has he done? jj abrams is definitely my choice, and if christopher nolan was still around he would be a great choice. also peter jackson is great, if he can do to star wars what he did to lord of the rings. however, i believe that JJ abrams is the best fit for this series because of his previous work.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 11:11AM

    17823141  said...

    Are you kidding me? This is a HORRIBLE list. Just because these people directed some sci fi stuff doesn't mean al all that they're cut out for Star Wars. And while S.W. is TECHNICALLY a sci fi, it is much less so than a political fantasy drama. What drives the story? That they're in space? NO! It's all the fantasy elements, like the Force. The director MUST be an intellectual director, foremost, to work a multifaceted story. Any of the above choices will result in the shallow linear swashbuckle that we all are dreading will become of the series.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 11:14AM

    1323806666  said...

    I Agree!!!

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 11:04AM

    100000726081798  said...

    I just saw "CLOUD ATLAS" and I nominate the WACHOWSKIS (the directors of Cloud Atlas) to do the next "Star Wars" only they have the imagination to bring some fresh air into the Stars Wars World. But my most radical choice would be why not have the Great JOHN WOO or TSUI HARK direct "Star Wars?" It's about time they did. Can you imagine Jackie Chan or Michelle Yeoh in that Star Wars world? An offbeat choice for a director for Star Wars would be someone like WOODY ALLEN, BRIAN DEPALMA or CLIVE BARKER. TYLER PERRY has said he wanted to do a science fiction movie.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 2:22PM

    1121440543  said...

    I REALLY hope you are kidding about Tyler Perry. You know the world he usually depicts. You know how his characters behave, especially toward children! Perry belongs off the list, PERIOD.

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 10:55AM

    vidvamp  said...

    Star Wars is going to need a compelling story and interesting characters. Otherwise it will just be gold foil on bathana poodoo. The director is not nearly so critical as the writer and the casting choices.

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