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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."
I've been waiting for about 12 years to see Yoda bitchslap E.T.
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
The job was given to Britney Spears, in hopes that it would attract even more of the teen crowd. Reports say that geeks and nerds everywhere are publicly outraged at this sell-out, but secretly drooling all over their keyboards.
*drool*
--
http://nemilar.net - Not your grandmother's soup kitchen
George, please look at the acting. The actors can't act worth crap. Please let me help the actors. You can do all the spaceship stuff. I just want to see a Star Wars movie where the actors seem like they aren't reading off cue cards!
Please!
I have been pwned because my
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.
Why does George think he's the only one that can write/direct? Hopefully he has someone else, even more qualified that Mr. Spielberg, in mind for directing Ep3. Though I'm sure he'll do it himself. Is he the only one in the world who didn't notice how much better the ones where he had others write and direct were? Alas, even if he writes every piece of crappy dialogue and directs every cheesy block for the actors, I know I'll go see it opening week.
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
Lucas hasn't great job with Ep 1 and 2, but Spielberg carries a completely different flavour of sci-fi to Lucas. Spielberg likes to intellectualize his movies somewhat too, which might be a good idea in itself, but wouldn't fit well into Star Wars.
Also, Spielberg would surely feel the need to inject his personal vision into the SW universe. Remember watching AI? Kubrick's parts and Spielberg's parts contrasted badly with each other, especially the ending. Everybody knows what the story in Episode III will be, we just want to see how the events play out and the final holes in the story get filled in. SW definitely doesn't need new influences at this stage.
"George Lucas adamant only he is allowed to make a mess of the Star Wars series. Told Speilberg to go make his money elsewhere."
fark.com
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
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.
I've actually lost some respect for Spielberg because of this. Even asking... I mean, come on! I don't care if he is a hot-shot director, it seems rude. What? Doesn't he have enough movies of his own?
Question
http://www.ironfroggy.com/
Not to be construed as flame-bait...but I can see why. I mean, if you created something, would you want someone to step in and do a better job?
I am sure it all boils down to ego, but what the hell, I wouldn't like someone coming in a doing their version of something I created, especially if (IMO) it would be better than what I could do.
But, on the other hand, a collaboration between the 2 would be awesome, George could do the wiz-bang effects, Spielburg could make the actors earn their paychecks, without them looking like wooden statues bent into shape.
A boy can dream I guess.
Sent from your iPad.
I have always been frustrated that creators often drive their franchises/ideas into the ground or kill them when they die. I know that creators should have absolute control, but it is a shame that Star Wars will likely die with Lucas, Calvin and Hobbes will die with BW and Peanuts will die with CS. I guess the alternative may be worse than the status quo, but still, when commercial entertainment interests become part of our shared emotions/heritage the only thing that will lose is our pocket books.
-Sean
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.
This is the best decision that Lucus has made regarding Star Wars. The only person that could make the Star Wars series worse is Spielberg.
Episode III is supposed to one of the darkest films in the series; the fall of the Republic, the death of the Jedi, and the rise of the Empire. I do not think Spielberg is capable of making such a dark movie.
For Example: look at how he changed the ending of AI. The film would have had a much greater emotional impact if it ended with the boy sitting in the helicopter staring at the statue forever.
If Speilberg directs Episode III there will be some sort of cute and cuddily ending to it.
Let the flaming begin...
Welcome to the land of the free...pay toll ahead...no photography...please open your bag...
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.
After seeing Attack of the Clones I almost contacted Lucas begging for the job... anything to stop that man... please stop... please...
"Understand you're having a little Jimmy Page trouble."
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
I say let Steve direct the three episodes that George says he isn't going to do -- numbers 7 through 9. Heck -- its better than not getting them at all... and letting someone put a new twist on them at that stage might be alright.
Word game?
Not that these movies are of any real importance as an issue whatsoever, but here goes:
Despite people's misconceptions about Spielberg being a warm/fuzzy director, Lucas is not, nor has he ever been, 1/10th the director Spielberg is. Spielberg with some good writing support probably wanted to help, to try to turn the epI characters back into human beings for epII after Lucas' major pooch screw. Nobody knows what Lucas thinks - is he cashing in? Is he a megalomaniac? Who knows? Who gives a shit? All I know is the past two movies are tripe I wouldn't allow in my home to poison my DVD collection. And I really liked IV & V too, and thought VI wasn't great, but OK.
Nevermind what the fanboys think, the prequels have been fucked over by one thing -- Lucas' total control over all aspects of the project. The SW prequels are a tragedy caused by a lack of hollywood industry control & standards, not an overbearance of them. Any major studio management/production team on any other project would've seen the dailies of epI & II and demanded a change in directors, but because Lucas has the $ and carte blanche to do what he wants he never has to answer to anyone, and with his inability to write or direct simple believable dialogue he's the biggest liability to his own legacy.
Think about it -- since the first three, outside of some TV production he hadn't directed a feature film since Jedi in '83. That's 16 fucking years out of practice. So now he's a hack, and somewhere deep I think he knows it. He should've been a deeply involved producer and brought in a big-time director that knows how to direct actors instead of mainframes, who hasn't been out of the game for a generation, someone like Spielberg, for all of these prequels.
Despite the verbosity above, none of it really matters for me - to me it's just movies, give or take. But to Lucas I have to assume it's something more, that it's art, and he's actively fucking it to shit. Too bad. I guess even the best painters eventually became bad imitators of themselves, but it doesn't make it any fun to watch.
The only tool you've got against psychosis is experience.
Spielberg says tha a fourth Indiana Jones flick is on the way too.
;^)
"It's a chance for all of us to go back and feel young and act young. Harrison is going to be full of energy, as he always is."
He concluded: "It's going to be very exciting. Even though he will be 62 by the time this film comes out, Harrison hasn't lost the snap in his whip."
My wife hopes I'm full of energy and haven't lost the snap in my (ahem) whip when I'm 62 as well.
Soko
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
I don't get it. Everyone else in Hollywood gets all the crack they want, but Lucas seems to think that just because he's filming Star Wars that Speilberg doesn't deserve his crack. Maybe this is why Episodes 1 and 2 sucked so much. Lucas didn't give anyone thier crack.
Karma: SELECT `karma` FROM `users` WHERE `userid`=138474;
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
Speilberg didn't direct JP3. Check imdb.
Revolution = Evolution
I find your lack of taste disturbing. :)
There's a really fun essay called "Not Exactly A Knight" written by Susan Aronstein. I got my copy online a while ago, but since it doesn't seem to be posted anymore, here's the hard-copy reference instead. [Aronstein, Susan. (Summer 1995). "'Not Exactly a Knight': Arthurian Narrative and Recuperative Politics in the Indiana Jones Trilogy." Cinema Journal].
A couple of interesting quotes to give the flavor of the piece:
Temple of Doom
In Temple, Indiana appears as an individual, a knight without a court, whose services are for sale in two currencies, the monetary currency offered by Lao Che and that of "fortune and glory" found in the quest for the Ankara stones. This Indiana, far from being the ideal subject, is adamantly nonconstructed, dangerously individual. His sole ideology seems to be the one he reminds Lao Che of as he presses his knife into Willie's side: "anything goes," a code that leads to the chaos of the opening vignette. This vignette shows Indiana for what he is -- a mercenary out for his own gain, uninterested in "right" and uncontrolled by any sort of chivalric or cultural code, as evidenced by his treatment of Willie. The Temple of Doom is an Arthurian romance without Arthur and without a court; the story of an uncontrolled knight, like the Red Knight of Chretien's Perceval, bashing other knights, of a knight, like Perceval, in need of a court.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Yet, as the film explicitly identifies Marian with the various "objects" that Indiana must acquire, the two plots merge in the film's exposition of its thematic center: the need for Indiana to change his attitude toward the "objects" he seeks and accept his cultural responsibility as a citizen of a vindicated and privileged moral authority. In the beginning of the film, his attitude toward both the ark and Marian is that of a plunderer, a careless acquirer of objects who is unwilling to accept any responsibility for them. While Marcus and the American Army Intelligence recognize the ark as a symbol of both privilege and responsibility (the quest for the ark is the quest "to get a hold of [it] before the Nazis do" and to defeat Hitler and keep the world safe for democracy), Indiana sees things quite differently. His values are still the values of the Indiana Jones who set out to possess the South American idol. His motivation stems neither from dreams of America's glory nor nightmares of Nazi victory but from the simple assurance that the museum will get the Ark, an object that he defines as "a find of incredible historical significance," scoffing at Marcus's tales of the "bogey man." Similarly, his attitude toward Marian, as delineated by her own accusations when they are reunited and his initial reasons for taking her on, illustrates his code of take-as-take-can-and-consequences-be-damned: anything goes.
Quest for the Holy Grail
As the film progresses, the need for books, old wisdom, and careful thought becomes increasingly apparent as the Nazis' book-burning party explicitly identifies "evil" with the destruction of old traditions. The knowledge of those same traditions saves the two Joneses' hides more than once and, finally, allows Indiana to achieve the Grail. The first instance of the power of books occurs when it looks as though the villains in the plane are going to succeed in running them down. Indiana is at a loss; Dad, however, comes to the rescue, using his umbrella to shoo the seagulls up into the propellers, thus bringing down the plane and destroying the enemy. His explanation: I suddenly remembered my Charlemagne, 'Let my army be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky.' " In this case, reading and knowledge yield answers when wit and strength have none. As Jones, Sr., replies when the Nazis demand of the Grail diary, "What does this tell you that it doesn't tell us?" "It tells me that goosestepping morons like yourself should try reading books instead of burning them." And when he uses his fountain pen to stave off the German army, Marcus quips, "The pen, the pen, you see, is mightier than the sword."
I actually don't think the author succeeds in her point: arguing that the Indiana Jones trilogy stands as Arthurian legend: most of the themes she identified (correctly) can be attributed mostly to character development, etc. without invoking the Grail legend, etc.
That being said, to the extent that there IS any substance of this sort to the films, it seem much more likely to have been due to Lucas than Spielberg. As much as Slashdotters may enjoy trashing AOTC, it is one probably one of the most interesting intellectual films to be released in the last year for those familiar with film symbolism, etc. Spielberg has never even come close to the kind of stuff Lucas pulls off there - not even in AI.
Spaceships? What spaceships? Ep2 had *one* space battle, consisting of a whopping *two* ships. Isn't it STAR Wars? Why the hell did the last two movies feature climactic LAND battles?!?!?!?
John Susek
> Movies, series, whatever all ends. Well, the way Star Wars is going, it's going into the shitter. Overall, people dont like ep 1, and they hate ep2. ANd if you were around back then, you oughtta remember why Star Wars was popular. Hint: It wasnt the plot (try special fx). They just created more shows for revenue. They were just hooks to continue the first one.
Amen, brother!
SW was actually pretty dumb by any objective criterion, but it worked as a movie because it was just a space opera / action flick with no goals other than to have and give a good time.
Unfortunately, the Joseph Campbell connection came up, the media and the fans took it way too seriously, and Lucas tried too hard to deliver on it in the next show and a half, but he just couldn't deliver serious flickature.
And perhaps he realized that it wasn't working after ESB, because while continuing to try to follow through with the "heavy" stuff in RotJ, he also added in heroic teddybears for the kiddies.
And as if he hadn't mucked things up enough by that point, by the time he got around to doing E1 he completely dropped the attempts at a "heavy" story, but unfortunately, instead of returning to the mindless fun of SW he just left a huge gap in the motivations: the series was now "about" itself. So we got a meandering story with ill-conceived background concepts to help shove the plot forward, continued overkill kiddie-appeal, and an unmotivated dazzle of special effects to try to glue all that uninteresting stuff together into the blockbuster the public expected of him.
Now, I'd like to continue this analysis through E2, but sadly, I didn't bother going to see it. There's better stuff on television.
So what's Lucas' legacy?
When he tried to give us a good time, he gave us a good time.
When he tried to be great, he flopped.
When he kept going without a focus, he made a fool out of himself.
Now cereal box treats are the most enduring legacy of the grandly conceived nonolgy.
And what's his solution for this?
More of the same! Bugger off, Spielberg, fans, and critics! There's a trilogy to be finished! (I forget why I'm making it, but it's got to be done!) Bring on the animators! Call up Burger King and Pizza Hut! The show must go on!
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
While it could hardly be worse than what we've already been subjected to, just think what Episode 3 would be like if all we ended up getting was Spielberg's incessant product pimping on top of crap actors like Hayden Christensen spewing Lucas's junior high love note pap:
"I've thought of her every day for the last ten years, Jar Jar. Every handful of Reese's Pieces reminds me of her beautiful, dark eyes."
"You'sa soundin' like you be needin' a Pepsi, Ani."
Many people have pointed out that Lucas hasn't directed a star wars since the original, and was given some (much needed) writing assistance by several very talented people.
I wrote a long article detailing what happened to those people, but mozilla crashed. Damn debian using old binaries... When woody!? Dear god when!?
Oh, sorry. Yes, the writer of Empire and the director of Jedi are both dead, and the director of empire is pushing 76... Kasdan (working from memory, spelling may be wrong) would be an excellent choice to bring some reality back to the plate, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
There are several people in hollywood who are legendary directors. There are legendar writers. There are legendary producers. There are legendary effects people. There are no legendary director / writer / producer / effects people. That's like saying a good programmer should be able to design the computer, build it, program it, and draw the icons... It just ain't happening. Lucas needs to get it through his thick scull that he's a legendary effects / producer artist, and that he should rely on other geniuses when it comes to writing and directing.
How can we make Lucas realize that he isn't infalliable? Maybe a protest boycott on the opening night of episode 3?
This Sig is a mnemonic device designed to allow you to recognize this author in the future.
We all know that George Lucas kinda like ignores his actors for the larger part. He gives them Freedom, he gives some advice, but he's not the Director that goes into Character bulding very much. He's all more of the 'visual poetry' type. One gets the impression, that he would just like to make a long sequence of stills, pans and enviro shot of a variety of Space Opera Worlds (Bespin, Mos Aisly (dunno how thats spelled), Endor, Deathstar Interior) - all that is his visual style and it fits the Space Opera genre he's into so very much.
Having Actors being something like Posers and not much more really doesn't bother in such a setting. On the contrary, it actualy goes along quite well.
Spielberg on the other hand - with his own distinct visual handwriting (that 80s Kiddy Candy Movie look - that's all his - even AI had it!) would spoil the esprit of SW totally!!!
He's a good director, no doupt, but keeping Spielbarg away from SW is just what I would do if I where a producer.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Talking about directors in their 80s... Kershner is 79. I guess he has tons of ideas for his life other than participating in the making of another Star Wars movie.
Actually, I had the weird idea after noticing how bad the script was for *AotC*, of taking a few weeks to dedicate to writing a really convincing fake script for the 3rd episode and then "leaking" it to a bunch of rumor sites later in the year just to see what the reaction would be. Compared to Lucas' own screenplay, I'm sure mine would be a gem... ;-) It would indeed be ironic if fan sites thought a false screnplay were better than the real one when the real one comes out. :-)
Chasing Amy
(We all chase Amy...)
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws"-Tacitus
I thought AI was a good movie. Admittedly an appreciation of it requires an IQ higher than the temperature outside, but since when was that a bad thing? Shakespeare isn't for bozo's either.
As for Coppolla's casting of his daughter, she was a last minute stand in for Winona Ryder who fell ill when shooting was scheduled to start. I'd rather have seen Winona in the movie myself since she's one of the most beautiful women on the face of the earth, and she can actually act. Sophia Coppolla might make for a good director (The Virgin Suicides), but an actress she is not, or at least WAS not back when GF-3 was made.
Lee
Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
If you examine some of Lucas' comments in recent times, he views all of his movies as permanent "works in progress". It's why he wasn't afraid to touch up the first trilogy. This is a big difference to Spielberg's attitude.
...in about 20 years or so.
I think Lucas and Spielberg are well aware of their stylistic differences after their Indiana Jones collaborations. Lucas is probably afraid not that Spielberg would do it better, but that the end product would bear more of Spielberg's signature than Lucas'. In George's eyes, Star Wars is his Big Vision which he won't share any more.
My guess is that Spielberg won't get a chance, but I could imagine letting a young director loose on the Star Wars series as a retelling...
What about 7 of 9?
Sig (appended to the end of comments I post, 54 chars)
Acting against a blue screen has got to be worse than dealing with another actor.
Some quotes:
Terence Stamp (Valorum): "When I arrived on set for Episode 1, George Lucas said, 'I've given Natalie the day off.' So, he pointed to a piece of paper on a post and said, 'Pretend that's her.' They couldn't afford me again."
Thus proving this prediction...
Mark Hamill: "I have a sneaking suspicion that if there were a way to make movies without actors, George would do it." Early 1980s
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'm deffinitely not a big fan of Spielberg, though I admit that he's had his moments too. It's just that Lucas has now twice fumbled quite miserably with his efforts. I mean Episode 2 had tolerable plot and some pretty good stuff in it, too, but the adventure game and sound of musics scenes (just to name a few) were again a tad too much, as with JarJar and the Boonta eve race (just to name a few) in Episode 1.
Having clearly witnessed how Lucas either has lost all class and style or has been forced to do so by the marketing department, I for one would be pretty much willing to let any director give it a shot.
I for one would be pretty damn anxious to see the later episodes done by likes of Scorsese or Scott.
Thenagain, I do admit that I never mind them making total-crap sequels. Take Highlander II & III for example, the first one hasnt been diminshed by those lame-excuse-for-a-movies.
1 Earth is warming, 2 It's us, 3 it's royally bad, 4 we need to take action NOW
...considering that Episode 1 is the 2nd top grossing movie of all time.
You may have not liked it, but some people definetly went to see it over and over and over.
- sigs are for wimps.
I think the Universe is BIG enough for two Star Wars Episodes I, II, and III. In fact, I think Speilburg should be allowed to make his own Episode I. I'd pay money to see both versions.
Both could exist in parallel time lines as long as the key points in the plot were kept the same, even though I yearn to see Jar Jar get a light saber through his floppy eared head. Then the version with the highest box office gross would become the official version!
If Speilberg did a good enough job, would we allow him to remake Episodes 4,5 and 6? Note: Just because AI sucked doesn't mean Speilberg sucks.
Is this the same guy who made Robocop 2?
Gary Kurtz? What has he produced lately? Let's see "Slipstream"*('89) and "The Steal"('94). Yeah, those have "blockbuster" written all over them.
The only person that seems more active in the movie industry is Kasdan, with a movie coming up in 2003. We'll forgive his script for the "Bodyguard".
- sigs are for wimps.
Speilberg would do much better overall than Lucas, as I am sure at this point anyone could. But we would have to probably endure an ending that was entirely too long, drawn out, and cliche. He has a tendency to do that with some movies that otherwise are fantastic. A.I. and Cast Away come to mind.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Lucas has already said he won't make 7,8,9 because the story is finished. And I agree. I don't want to see old Luke, Leia and Han in an elderly home swappnig old war stories. This is just another bad fanboy idea, which is ironic since most fanboys seem to think they can come up with a better idea which is almost always not true.
- sigs are for wimps.
> We all know Lucas's biggest motivation is money, lots and lots of it.
> Too bad he's too ego-centric to let go. Ego over money, I guess.
First you say his biggest motivation is money, then you say his ego is greater than his love for money. Why don't you make up your mind and then write your opinion?
You also seem to imply that making money is more important than ego, yet most great artists are big ego-centrics (Dali, Van Gogh, etc).
Try to find a point and then post back, OK?
- sigs are for wimps.
Yea, but then he'd have to kick out John Williams and replace him with Danny Elfman. Less orchestra, more..uhm...more something.
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?
So far, from ready all your posts, I gather a few attitudes from people.
:)
Basically, Slashdotters seem ready to cast George Lucas as an imaginative visionary without the skills needed to put out a quality piece of work in modern day cinema, who's time came and went with the late 70's and early 80's. Steven Spielberg, according to the reports, apparently would loved to have directed any of the prequels, and Lucas, for whatever reason, snuffed him. We can all speculate. Maybe Lucas is a possessive prick who would die before giving up any part of creative control of his "baby" to even someone with the cinematic genius (much less raw ability) of Hollywood's A-List director, Steven Spielberg. Whatever the case, it seems clear that Slashdot fans of the series have a still gaping hole in their hearts that they had reserved just for episodes 1, 2, and 3, and want to see some magic brought back to the story.
So what was it exactly that Lucas did *right* in episodes 4, 5, and 6? For all his lack of directing talent and movie-making skills, it certainly seems a wonder that he could have turned out something as magical as Star Wars at all. Some may argue that he was pushing an envelope in 1977, inventing new technology and cinematic wonders that with his brilliant story line, he couldn't help but succeed. Certainly he did create a new era of movies with the creative movie-making he did. But the sense of evil you felt when Vader first walked into the scene of the first movie; the lump in the throat when Vader told Luke he was his father; the feeling of triumph when Leiah choked Jabba to death with the very chains that bound her; are these the creations of a man who can't direct his way out of a paper bag, or write a decent script to save his life?
Maybe Lucas changed in the 15 years he had off between episodes 6 and 1, but don't cast him aside as a visionary who can't execute. Not to say the last two movies haven't left me wanting. A lot. But Lucas has done it right before, and in a larger sense, has already proven himself. But perhaps it's not movie-making ability, or the script-writing ability that has suffered over time. Rather, it may very well be the creative vision itself. Perhaps Lucas' Dream (tm), has diverged far from that of the fans of Star Wars, such that he has alienated that very people that made Star Wars what it really is.
Sidenote: For all the praise people have been giving Spielberg, if he can pull off a good new Indiana Jones movie with an aging Harrison Ford, then we'll know what he's really made of.
-AAAWalrus
But if we're going down *this* road... may as well have John Waters do the last SW flick. Sure, SW3 would have to be set in Baltimore, and... and...
[this post has been abandoned as the poster's head appears to have exploded. Sorry for the mess.]
I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
Bag Spielberg and let George do his own thing.
I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
Simple: He let someone else direct Episodes five (ESB) and six (RotJ). If he had continued that trend, only producing and guiding the prequels, perhaps they would have been a lot better than they were.
Look at how much better the sequels were than the original... I have a feeling the director had a large part in that difference. Lucas can't direct. Period.
Side thought... Maybe Kevin Smith (of Clerks fame) should be given the chance to direct Episode Three....
Whoever stated that signature sizes should be limited to one hundred and twenty characters can just go ahead and kiss my
So...Spielberg realized, like the rest of us, that ol' Georgie is doing terrible terrible things to his movies, and tried to step in to save the new trilogy. Alas, Georgie is blinded by insanity and power.
Your
Maybe Lucas is already using Steven Speilbergo. He's gotta be cheaper
DOS is dead, and no one cares...
If there's a Bourne Shell, I'll see you there
Let's face it, Lucas doesn't want to be remembered as the part creator of the most fantastic, visionary epic movie of the 21st century. He wants to be remembered as the sole monomaniacal creator of a vast, lumbering, eye-catchingly beautiful, but woodenly acted monstrosity that missed a lot of its potential but made billions selling toys.
p.s. I like the the Star Wars movies, I really do, but Spielberg could provide everything Lucas lacks, which is a lot. Lucas's true skills and genius are as a creator/visionary/producer, not a writer or director, where he is 3rd rate at best.
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
He hasn't always had the best scripts to work with, but he really can really pull off good film noir.
:)
I sure hope Lucas is reading Slashdot this morning...
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
As Tracy Morgan said in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, "Miramax accounts for 74% of my business!"
What he left unsaid was that Lucasarts accounts for the other 26%. (:
Whoever stated that signature sizes should be limited to one hundred and twenty characters can just go ahead and kiss my
less orchestra, more violins and children singing "la la la la, la la la la"
Whoever stated that signature sizes should be limited to one hundred and twenty characters can just go ahead and kiss my
Wow, what an ugly quote. A quote defending the "status quo", defending the stablishment. A quote defending the powerful ones, even if they are sitting (in all their naked-ness) on top of a bunch of lies and false philosophies.
He'd probably have Data come back to life after sacrificing himself for the crew. At least as it stands, there is some question about whether or not the android Data created in his own image is actually achieving a copy of Data's personality, but Spielberg would probably freeze them both and have them come back after everybody else dies like he did in A.I.
Lucas is where it's at. Episode 3 will blow 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 away. He just needed to get used to CGI with a couple of warm-up episodes.
Uh, I hate to spoil it, but the hint in the MIB II preview of Nemesis is that Data brings his evil twin brother back. So there is a good chance only the copy gets blown-up.
"Face it, a nation that maintains a 72% approval rating on George W. Bush is a nation with a very loose grip on reality.
Yeah, and too bad Divine died.
Maybe Traci Lords could play - um, somebody.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
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.
Who's going to get to direct the Mace Windu Kwanzaa Special for TV?
That is all.
People are morons. When EpI was first released, everyone was like "THIS MOVIE IS AWESOME!" except for a few token player haters that have to hate anything more than two people like. A little while after that, it was "Episode I is great but Jar Jar is kind of annoying." and then within a couple years everyone is still sharing a brain. "ALL NEW STAR WARS MOVIES SUCK!" is their cry now. Then they add something about blue screens to back up their points. I guess they're like "Wah, I wish george Lucas would assemble huge sets of tiny models and have hundreds of model ships flying around like before! It looked so much better because it's not NEW. I CAN TELL IT'S COMPUTER ANIMATED AND IT LOOKS FAKE! GIVE MY EYES A PRIZE! Well, I guess I'll go watch Jason and the Argonauts. The skeletons move so real and lifelike. It's nothing like CGI where I notice how fake everything looks." I mean, Christ people. Lucas wants shots of locations and things that flat out don't exist in life. Either he can try to please you people who are so passionate about being retarded and make a model, or he can do it the good way: CGI. Also, I don't know what movies you guys were watching when you say the quality of the original trilogy was so much better, but it isn't the same ones I have. The dialogue was always cheesy. As always, with the exception of a couple people, the acting was horrible. Even Harrison Ford's performance in the trilogy is less than stellar. The goddamn main character is the most annoying whiny bitch in the history of man. Even in Jedi, watching mark try to be a badass is simply embarrassing. As an interesting side note, I recently watched Episode 1 with a friend of mine who lives out of town. As it happens, he doesn't have a PC or an internet connection, nor does he have a tv. He is, however, quite well read and a bright man. He didn't hate Jar Jar and he enjoyed the film. That's what made me realize everybody on the internet is stupid and they just pick a bandwagon and jump on it. And as we all know, hating something makes you cooler than liking something. And we all read countless times that we're supposed to hate Jar Jar. Might as well join in and let the world know you share its great taste. I'd be willing to bet cashmoney that without any form of media, Jar Jar would be a non issue to > 95% of the people who have an issue with him. Except for YOU of course. You (the guy reading this right now) are the one true original Jar Jar hater and you decided you hated him completely independant of what anybody else said and not because you read someone saying they hated him. But as for all these other people, you smell. To sum up, here's you: "Blah blah wooden acting blah blue screen blah." and here's me "Hey I guess you have some magic edition of the original trilogy with great acting and nothing to complain about."
So how much are they paying you per referral?