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Spielberg Denied Crack at Star Wars
loonix_gangsta writes "The BBC is running a blurb on the disclosure of Star Wars helmsman George Lucas not allowing Spielberg to direct one of the Star Wars movies. According to Ananova Steven had actually begged George for the job."
Lucas has a pretty impressive vision and knows eye-candy better than about any director out there. But he's a terrible writer and he doesn't know how to direct actors. He has some top notch talent in his movies and unless they break free of the crap dialogue and directive vision of what that dialogue should sound like, they are screwed. I'd give anything to have Spielberg direct with Lucas doing his thing in the background... maybe we'd have an Indiana Jones style romp for E3.
Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it. -Samuel Johns
We all know Lucas's biggest motivation is money, lots and lots of it. Doesn't he remember a little franchise known as Indiana Jones? Lucas and Spielberg teamed up on that and look, nerds and non-nerds love it. You can't find a person who doesn't like Indy. Anybody who has ever worn a fedora gets references to the movies all day long. This is a bad move by Lucas, he could've included all the merchandising he wanted (More aliens, more Fetts, etc.) and he could've made a wildly popular movie too.
Too bad he's too ego-centric to let go. Ego over money, I guess.
"Oh no, 3 horny women and only 2 condoms...Thank god I read slashdot"
I'll let the romantic lines between Anakin and Padme in AoTC speak for itself.
:)
I bet that spielberg must have laughed those lines off...
I know I did.
Liam Neeson is proof positive. He was dynamite in Schindler's List (directed by Spielberg), and wooden as a pirate's leg in Episode 1 (directed by Lucas). Lucas sucks when he has to deal with people, which is probably why he relies so much on techno whiz.
Infuriate left and right
I can only imagine what Spielberg would have done to the series. Ep 3 is supposed to be the darkest of all of the episodes. I'm sorry, but Spielberg just doesn't do dark well enough.
And I can just see him going back to the film several years after its release and replacing all of the lightsabers with walkie-talkies.
No thanks.
Ryosen
One man's "Troll, +1" is another man's "Insightful, +1".
after sitting through AI, I have to say this increases my respect for george.
So if this is "Georges baby" then why did he use different directors and writers for Empire and Return of the Jedi? I propose, to get Starwars back on track, for George to hire the original people that helped him on the trilogy.... Lawrence Kasdan, Gary Kurtz, and Irvin Kirshner. Bring in the K's and all will be well. The Starwars TripleK Petition. We fans deserve the best movie of all time with Episode 3. SOMETHING's gotta break Titanics records.
Time to burn off some karma.
1). Spielberg isn't the savior.
2). No one is the savior for star wars
Now, this isn't to say the second trilogy sucks. I thought ep. 1 was bearable, there were some things to change, mostly in the the promotion (c'mon, seeing darth maul break out the second blade of the lightsabre would've been way cooler if you didn't know about it ahead of time. It might have been hard to keep from "knowing" about, but we didn't need to see it in the first trailer.), and certainly there were some major issues with dialouge. Lucas didn't have any recent experience in film. He didn't know, or didn't have anyone telling him he was making bad choices. Hell in '98 we were drooling over spoilers that in retrospect killed the film. ("Full CG characters! wow! I don't know how they'll be implimented but that's cool!")
Ep. 2 made progress. But from the percieved failure of Ep. 1, no one was willing to give the movie any kind of a shake. When 1 was released, there was a devoted throng of geeks who thought they'd be "smarts" and spend weeks on end spouting off about just how bad the film was. That same contingent multiplied and said 2 marked the death of a franchiese, lucas has lost his touch, and it's all a huge mistake.
Sorry, but nothing will please the die hard of vocal Star Wars "fans" who want nothing more than to make a name by voicing their opinions. What's really sad, and what no SW geek will admit to, is the similarity between SW geeks and Internet WWE wrestling fans. After every RAW or Smackdown! there is a hard core group of fans that nit pick every blown move, every plot hole, every bit of less than logical storytelling. The result is that the WWE has begun catering to the more vocal internet fans more in their storylines. Check the ratings, the majority of the fans aren't buying it. The WWE has tried boosting ratings with signings of bigger name talent, and shocking storyline moves, all to no avail. Only now they've alienated both the smarts and the live / casual fans.
Same with Star Wars. Lucas could sign Spielberg up to direct episode 3, bring back harrison ford, sign Jet Li as the villan, and promise full frontal nude shots of Natalie Portman, but why? It probaly won't change much. The dialouge may get better with Spielberg at the helm, the story might get a little stronger and better paced, but it's not going to shut the "fans" up. The same contingent will just insert "Spielberg" into their rants instead of lucas. Hell, Francis Ford Coppola is close with lucas, let's throw him in the mix.
No matter who directs, you'll still get the same dearth of comparisions to each directors poor efforts. "Episode 3 sucked as bad as 'howard the duck' or 'always' or 'the godfather 3'" Come to think of it, Spielberg tanked out with a recent Sci Fi outing (or has 'AI' been forgotten that quickly?) and Coppola makes some pretty foul casting choices. (Can you say daddy's little girl? I thought so.) So long as the comic book guy wanna-be's have ammunition, they'll use it.
Face it. The 'net will never be happy with star wars. It was destined to be. But the bottom line doesn't lie, Star Wars is still the biggest franchiese movie out there. It's still got a strong devoted following. (I'll buy into the matrix when I see how well the film stands up to an audience that has seen bullet time and slow-mo action in every action movie made in the last two years.)
There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
Indeed, Spielberg has the pedigree to set *Star Wars* straight. Looking at his directorial filmography on IMDB reveals a great mix of both serious films, good sci-fi, and endearing movies that appeak to kids. That's a perfect rcipe for directing a great *Star Wars* film, whereas Lucas has gotten carried away by technology to the point of believing CG can replace plot and emotion.
Seriously, compare the use of CG in the two *Star Wars* prequels to the use of CG in *Minority Report* and the original *Jurassic Park*. Spielberg's films have plot and emotion at the center, with the CG as an important element used to bring realism to the sci-fi element--but the CG is never put before the plot and emotion. Lucas' *SW* prequels on the other hand relegate plot and emotion to the back-burner--even in *AotC* when Anakin and Padme are supposedly in love, the audience never really feels it. They have how much on screen time together again--and how much of that is taken up by screechingly corny and hackneyed cliches? Ack, what a disgrace. Even Lucas' best CG in the film is botched--the Yoda fight scene was awesome, but far too short and far less dramatic than it should have been. Remember the tension when Obi Wan fought Vader in *SW*? Remember the tension when Luke fought Vader in *RotJ*? It really wasn't there in the Yoda bout, because Lucas can't write and direct worth crap anymore.
Seriously, with Spielberg doing the directing and fixing the dialogue, and Lucas doing the special effects, future *SW* films would be truly great. As it is, we can only really hope for *better* than the two prequels so far, but probably not as good as the older films.
Chasing Amy
(We all chase Amy...)
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws"-Tacitus
Schindler's List.
'Nuf said.
A new director would do good for SW. Think of what it did for The Empire Strikes Back, which is the best episode IMHO.
Lucas seems to have a few cliched (if I may say so) fixations on SW - A Roman like Arena in every episode; hands being cut off with light sabres; a vehicle chase and so on and so forth. While these instruments added to the Story in TESB, they tend to be the story these days. On second thought, these have been borrowed from the original SW while nothing new has been added as one would hope.
SW is fast becoming a translation of current day world to galactic terms. Since when did Jedi start saying "This is Jedi Business, every body relax" after bar brawls? Sounds too much like Police or FBI. I am sure that whatever his shortcomings, Steven Sp. can do a better job. The romance scenes from Ep II could do with a new director anyway.
And let me not get started on the script. I am sure that any sensible director would avoid too many "My young apprentice" and "You should not - we must not" stuff.
Well, there is my 2 penny worth.At least not anymore. A quick scan of his resume shows outside of Star Wars, Lucas has'nt been at the helm of a film in the directors chair since 1973's American Graffiti.
29 years, with the execption of a couple trys at Star Wars can leave you a little rusty. (And in my opinion, it shows). Thats not to say that Lucas is'nt an excellent craftsman, and his contributions to the field of special effects, amoung countless other acheivements should not be discounted.
But, just because your really good and building violins does'nt mean you're the best choice to conduct a symphony.
Spielberg on the other hand has had a lot more practice wearing a directors hat (despite some unfortunate misses). His work with the late Kubric has rubbed off on him, which shows in the spactacular visual style in A.I. and the more recent minority report (albeit with some disapointing storylines).
Personally I think Spielberg's experience as a director would provide the perfect compliment to the imagination and storytelling that Lucas can put out when he's at his best. It's really a shame this won't happen.
The Internet is generally stupid
The problem I always hear from people is that they think the beings at the end are aliens. It didn't even occur to them that those "aliens" were the evolved descendents of the original mechas.
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Surely with all that money he's stolen from us
Give me a break, okay? No one is forcing you to go see the movies. You can say what you want about Lucas' directing ability or his writing ability, but no one is making you go see the movies. Lucas hasn't "stolen" anything, whatever his other flaws may be. Get a grip.
I can only imagine what Spielberg would have done to the series. Ep 3 is supposed to be the darkest of all of the episodes. I'm sorry, but Spielberg just doesn't do dark well enough.
Well, based on Ep.1 and 2, what reason do we have to believe that George has one good movie left in him. Of all the films so far, George was the least involved with The Empire Strikes Back. Dark? Absolutely. Quality? It was the best film of the series.
Now, how is the guy who wrote that drivel that passed as romantic dialogue between Amidala and Anakin in AOTC going to finish the story to the satisfaction of all? The only saving grace is that the ending of Episode 3 must seamlessly integrate with Episode 4 and beyond. We all know how it has to end, George just has to make it all fit.
And for the love of humanity, NO MORE GODDAM REVISIONS. What was achieved by making Greedo shoot first?
*** Where are we going? And what's with this handbasket?
When this topic comes up, slashdot turns into a bad movie site. Ben Affleck had it right, "Sad, pathetic little bastards living in their parents' basement, downloading scripts and what they think is inside information about movies and actors they claim to despise, yet can't stop discussing."
I love Star Wars. All of it. I walked out of EP2 DYING to see EP3 and crying that soon it would be over, with no more movies coming. I don't know anyone who was upset with the way the movies turned out. But then again, I didn't go hoping that my dark dreams from my troubled teenage years would be fulfilled with a protagonist that was me in the tight leather from the crow having kinky sex with charlies angels. I went to see Star Wars. I got Star Wars.
I realize that not everyone is happy with how their life is turning out. But that's not Star Wars' fault. Really. And if you're insights into film are so penetrating and deep, then why don't you go make one. If you can out-gross a Star Wars film, I'll listen to you. Which means the only people I have to listen to _this year_ are Peter Jackson and Sam Raimi.
If I've been insulting you here, I'll try and leave you with a positive note. Read less rumor sites and commentary and instead go and just _watch_ the movies. They are so much more fun that way. It's not G.L.'s bad directing that makes you notice it....it's Carrie Fisher's snide interview rememberances. Over-analyzing ANYTHING will make it suck for you (I know. I watched Princess Bride 50 times in a row once for a class). So don't do that.
May the force be with you.
p.s. Why do the slashdot editors keep posting negative spin Star Wars stories when their entire Sourceforge ad campaign seems to derive from Star Wars? I don't get it.