The Force Awakens Anyone glad it's not written by Lucas?

[Octoberist]

Despite his down-to-earth personality, I think Lucas is a bit narcissistic. Though of course, anyone who has built an empire (no pun intended) will be ego driven no matter how nice they seem to be. I think he wanted to micro-manage the prequels especially in directing and writing. I guess I don't blame him.

I also have a theory, and it's just a theory, that he felt left out when people consider The Empire Strikes Back to be the best SW film. Most of the credit went to Kasdan and Kershner. And it didn't help that it was the one film that Lucas was involved the least. But to be fair, I've read that Lucas did many uncredited polishes to the script too, so it's not like he sat back and let everyone do the job for him.

That probably drove him to be more involved with the writing process and even 'ghost' direct Return of the Jedi. And from there he got rid of Gary Schultz, who fundamentally help Lucas in the past for almost all of his projects.

Again, just a theory.

 

[The_Manhunter]

I wish it was written by Lucas. As long as they keep his story I'm happy though.

 

[The Endless]

Why would you wish he wrote it? It's no coincidence the best Star Wars films were not written by him and the worst ones were. Lucas is a great idea man, he's not a good writer or director.

 

[Octoberist]

I wish it was written by Lucas. As long as they keep his story I'm happy though.

That just gave me shivers.

 

[Spider-Gnome]

Despite his down-to-earth personality, I think Lucas is a bit narcissistic. Though of course, anyone who has built an empire (no pun intended) will be ego driven no matter how nice they seem to be. I think he wanted to micro-manage the prequels especially in directing and writing. I guess I don't blame him.

I also have a theory, and it's just a theory, that he felt left out when people consider The Empire Strikes Back to be the best SW film. Most of the credit went to Kasdan and Kershner. And it didn't help that it was the one film that Lucas was involved the least. But to be fair, I've read that Lucas did many uncredited polishes to the script too, so it's not like he sat back and let everyone do the job for him.

That probably drove him to be more involved with the writing process and even 'ghost' direct Return of the Jedi. And from there he got rid of Gary Schultz, who fundamentally help Lucas in the past for almost all of his projects.

Again, just a theory.

Hey, Octoberist. I'm addressing you, because I often enjoy your posts which are thoughtful and intelligent, even when I don't agree.

I think the thing about Lucas is, he has a strong vision of what he wants. It is, after all, his vision that started this whole thing. He has admitted that writing is his least favorite thing. He did go to Kasdan for help when he started to write the prequels. Kasdan politely declined and said that these were his (Lucas) films and that he (Lucas) should write them.

So, I don't think he was doing it himself as something totally egotistical. He had friends like Kasdan and Spielberg encouraging him, to do it himself. Originally, I think Lucas was only going to direct Episode I. But, he actually enjoyed himself (as oppose to his experience making the first Star Wars), that he decided to direct the other two.

Apparently, Kasdan has changed his view, and has agreed to help out on this new trilogy (thankfully).

Am I happy Lucas is not writing this? I'm happy Lucas is not writing the screenplay. What I hope, is that they still follow Lucas's general vision for the Sequel Trilogy and still consult with him on ideas.

 

[Thoix]

Hey, Octoberist. I'm addressing you, because I often enjoy your posts which are thoughtful and intelligent, even when I don't agree.

I think the thing about Lucas is, he has a strong vision of what he wants. It is, after all, his vision that started this whole thing. He has admitted that writing is his least favorite thing. He did go to Kasdan for help when he started to write the prequels. Kasdan politely declined and said that these were his (Lucas) films and that he (Lucas) should write them.

So, I don't think he was doing it himself as something totally egotistical. He had friends like Kasdan and Spielberg encouraging him, to do it himself. Originally, I think Lucas was only going to direct Episode I. But, he actually enjoyed himself (as oppose to his experience making the first Star Wars), that he decided to direct the other two.

Apparently, Kasdan has changed his view, and has agreed to help out on this new trilogy (thankfully).

Am I happy Lucas is not writing this? I'm happy Lucas is not writing the screenplay. What I hope, is that they still follow Lucas's general vision for the Sequel Trilogy and still consult with him on ideas.

I feel the same way.

 

[Octoberist]

Hey, Octoberist. I'm addressing you, because I often enjoy your posts which are thoughtful and intelligent, even when I don't agree.

I think the thing about Lucas is, he has a strong vision of what he wants. It is, after all, his vision that started this whole thing. He has admitted that writing is his least favorite thing. He did go to Kasdan for help when he started to write the prequels. Kasdan politely declined and said that these were his (Lucas) films and that he (Lucas) should write them.

So, I don't think he was doing it himself as something totally egotistical. He had friends like Kasdan and Spielberg encouraging him, to do it himself. Originally, I think Lucas was only going to direct Episode I. But, he actually enjoyed himself (as oppose to his experience making the first Star Wars), that he decided to direct the other two.

Apparently, Kasdan has changed his view, and has agreed to help out on this new trilogy (thankfully).

Am I happy Lucas is not writing this? I'm happy Lucas is not writing the screenplay. What I hope, is that they still follow Lucas's general vision for the Sequel Trilogy and still consult with him on ideas.

It is true. I thoughtful and intelligent.

 

[tdub154420]

Overjoyed.

 

[DA_Champion]

I wish the script were written by Michael Arndt and not Lawrence Kasdan.

 

[Lord]

I'm glad he came up with the basic plot for the Sequel Trilogy, he's an amazing ideas man, just look at Darth Maul, General Grievous and Count Doku, then compare what was done with them in the expanded universe, they are great ideas that need to be well executed.

 

[Solidus]

I wish the script were written by Michael Arndt and not Lawrence Kasdan.

I used to kinda think this but not anymore. Ardnt is great but Kasdan is a part of SW and knows SW. It is what he writes best. His Empire script, and the original "unflimed" ROTJ script was a lot better then anything else. Ardnt his written 2 really good scripts, but that does not mean he can master SW. With JJ and Kasdan together I think it will make for something special. Additionally, they are basing it off of the main script.

EDIT:

Also to continue off of that subject, I think the best thing is having a few write it rather then just one. With SW, if you listen to the (read the transcripts) tapes of George, Kersh, and Kasdan talk in their writing meetings. Or even further listen to Spielberg, George and Kasdan in their writing meetings; one thing for sure is that Kasdan really is good at bringing great ideas out, and refining them, and also he came up with some amazing ideas too. I think when working purely alone does not suit him as well as him working with a bunch of people in a electric type of atmosphere and bouncing things off one another.

 

[The Endless]

I'm glad he came up with the basic plot for the Sequel Trilogy, he's an amazing ideas man, just look at Darth Maul, General Grievous and Count Doku, then compare what was done with them in the expanded universe, they are great ideas that need to be well executed.

Grievous was terrible. Had so much potential but it was terribly wasted. He was a better character in the cartoons.

 

[Octoberist]

I think the problem with Grievous in the context of only Episode 3, is that he kinda shows up.

Now, in A New Hope, we didn't know who Darth Vader is as he makes his awesome intro, but the information slowly leaks out through dialogue and plot developments. There's a build-up to the mystery and payoff.

I didn't watch the Clone Wars or google Grieveous, I still wouldn't know why he was in the movie, or what his role was. It was just too cluttered. Even his intro was underwhelming.

 

[Octoberist]

I used to kinda think this but not anymore. Ardnt is great but Kasdan is a part of SW and knows SW. It is what he writes best. His Empire script, and the original "unflimed" ROTJ script was a lot better then anything else. Ardnt his written 2 really good scripts, but that does not mean he can master SW. With JJ and Kasdan together I think it will make for something special. Additionally, they are basing it off of the main script.

EDIT:

Also to continue off of that subject, I think the best thing is having a few write it rather then just one. With SW, if you listen to the (read the transcripts) tapes of George, Kersh, and Kasdan talk in their writing meetings. Or even further listen to Spielberg, George and Kasdan in their writing meetings; one thing for sure is that Kasdan really is good at bringing great ideas out, and refining them, and also he came up with some amazing ideas too. I think when working purely alone does not suit him as well as him working with a bunch of people in a electric type of atmosphere and bouncing things off one another.

Yeah, while I still ding Kasdan for his baffling awful Dreamcatcher, his filmography isn't that bad post 80's. I think his heyday IS the 80's but he didn't do awful stuff in the 90's. He did slow down and opted to do romantic comedies; maybe because Wyatt Earp broke him..I don't know.

But he's only done ONE (maybe two if count his last film) but he hasn't done a big genre film in a long time, nor has he had such great collaborators either. So I think the script is in good hands.

 

[Lord]

Grievous was terrible. Had so much potential but it was terribly wasted. He was a better character in the cartoons.

That's exactly why i said that he has great ideas but doesn't execute them as well as he could. Which is why i said that you only need to look at what was done with those concepts in the Expanded Universe to see how good they were.

 

[Nerial]

Again, people don't understand this. The problem is not and never GL as a writer.

Hell, he is one of the BEST writers in Sci-Fi; without him, no world of Star Wars!

He is just not a great actor's director! He can't direct actors for ****. Good directing will always make up for not the best of writing.

If you have good enough actors, they will put out a great performance, if the directing is concerned with how actors talk/emote. With GL, he seem to be fine with the minimal performance from actors!

Some of you need to know the difference between good writing, and good directing.


Also, Natalie Portman I came to realize lately, is not that good of an actress as Jennifer Lawrence.

Sorry, but I could not disagree more. While I think you make an excellent point about directing and how even a crummy script can be elevated by a good director, a bad script can torpedo a good movie any day.

And "The Phantom Menace" had, I believe, the worst writing of any blockbuster I've ever seen. The characters are wildly inconsistent (overly confident villains one second, to cowards the next--rewatch the first five minutes), the humor is flat, the political tension was a joke, and Anakin was the worst attempt at writing a child's dialogue on screen to date.

Don't get me wrong--GL comes up with terrific ideas. But there are two types of writers in this world--those who write because they love words (and usually have plots that go nowhere, so they become ghost writers or poets) and those who use writing as a vessel to tell their stories (start off as crappy writers and get better over time).

GL is the latter, and it takes practice and a lot of patience to build up your writing chops. Most of GL's work has been aided by other writers and also directors (and I'm sure, also the actors, who know their characters). But in TPM, he didn't even allow his actors to improv AT ALL. Very unusual and a sign of someone who was full of himself.

To underestimate the script is offensive to the writers who actually have talent and work hard to get it. It is the foundation of a novel or movie--no matter how good the idea is, if the writing sucks, the story crumbles. No amount of directing can save a movie from, "Mesa Jar Jar Binks," and "Yipee!"

 

[horrorwriter]

If the second trilogy would be any indication of Lucas continuing as a writer, then I'd say "no" The kid who played Annakin in the first film was much better than the kid whom played him in the second and third. And the Revenge of the sith film was good because of pallapatine. Annakin's lines really sucked. As did his delivery. In the final fight where they are sabering amongst lava, the dialogue is at times unbearable. "Don't make me use my powers." "You will try!" The actor who portrayed Annakin was absolutley horrible.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

I'm disappointed it isn't be written by Lucas. That said, if he was, I would want it rewritten and polished by some other writers like the scripts for the OT.

Now am I glad he's not directing? Yes, yes I am. I love the prequels, but I'm ready for some new blood in the franchise.

 

[DA_Champion]

I used to kinda think this but not anymore. Ardnt is great but Kasdan is a part of SW and knows SW. It is what he writes best. His Empire script, and the original "unflimed" ROTJ script was a lot better then anything else. Ardnt his written 2 really good scripts, but that does not mean he can master SW. With JJ and Kasdan together I think it will make for something special. Additionally, they are basing it off of the main script.

EDIT:

Also to continue off of that subject, I think the best thing is having a few write it rather then just one. With SW, if you listen to the (read the transcripts) tapes of George, Kersh, and Kasdan talk in their writing meetings. Or even further listen to Spielberg, George and Kasdan in their writing meetings; one thing for sure is that Kasdan really is good at bringing great ideas out, and refining them, and also he came up with some amazing ideas too. I think when working purely alone does not suit him as well as him working with a bunch of people in a electric type of atmosphere and bouncing things off one another.

Kasdan was great thirty years ago.

 

[Octoberist]

He was great 30 years ago, good/decent in the early-to-mid 90's, and was incredibly mixed/bad in the late 90's-2000's. The good news is that his films in the 2000's were so few. I mean, I'll be honest...I can't defend Dreamcatchers for the life of me. It's so bad that's good, and then becomes bad again because Kasdan doesn't do 'schlock'.

But I don't know if I should hold that against him so much that he is UNABLE to create quality stuff now, ya know. Mostly, he's been doing these small rom-coms lately, so it's hard to gauge if he can pull off something amazing when dealing with a tentpole like Star Wars.

Maybe Star Wars is HIS element. I won't write him off, like some may have.

 

[Serpico Jones]

Kasdan hasn't done anything worth watching in 20 years and Abrams is a gifted director but sucks as a writer. This movie will rise or fall based on one decision alone: Kathleen Kennedy and Disney sided with Abrams over Michael Arndt and fired him off the movie. That is the decision that will sink or save the movie.

 

[Donut]

Wasn't that only because Team J.J. wanted more focus on the original three one last time ? While Team Micheal had them as cameos. Time will tell if that pays off

 

[Solidus]

He was great 30 years ago, good/decent in the early-to-mid 90's, and was incredibly mixed/bad in the late 90's-2000's. The good news is that his films in the 2000's were so few. I mean, I'll be honest...I can't defend Dreamcatchers for the life of me. It's so bad that's good, and then becomes bad again because Kasdan doesn't do 'schlock'.

But I don't know if I should hold that against him so much that he is UNABLE to create quality stuff now, ya know. Mostly, he's been doing these small rom-coms lately, so it's hard to gauge if he can pull off something amazing when dealing with a tentpole like Star Wars.

Maybe Star Wars is HIS element. I won't write him off, like some may have.

I think he works better in teams. His best work is where he worked with others. When he works by himself, the last few decades is where he kinda fell. I laugh at the "JJ sucks at writing". No he really doesn't. He's not the best writer, but he's far from "terrible". His stuff in Lost, Alias, Fringe were some of the best episodes MI3, that and Super 8 was actually a well written film , that really just had problems with expanding the role of the alien, that was the big issue with it, Super 8 though had a great heart, and was far form "bad writing".

I think some get that "bad writing" thing again confused with things he did not write but direct.

Wasn't that only because Team J.J. wanted more focus on the original three one last time ? While Team Micheal had them as cameos. Time will tell if that pays off

No, that was a rumor. It sounded like Ardnt's script focused on the main as a Solo Child. Where this one seems to be a completely new character that has no family ties, that or possibly connected to Luke. Other then that not much is known.

The thing is yes Ardnt has written 2 great scripts, but that does not mean he would have continued that. There was a reason that Iger/Kathy allowed a huge delay over Episode VII which delayed all the side projects as well. They would not have done it just..."because". In the end they felt that JJ/Kasdan had a better grasp then what Ardnt did with Lucas. Disney is not idiots, they know they have to hit this one out of the park or the others may suffer for a bit as well.

They looked at both scripts, and one was better. I agree with Octoberist is that, with Kasdan, SW is in his element. And I think with working off of the core ideas of Arndt/Lucas and with JJ, and him working on characters, it seems like they probably hit something better, or Disney would have just said no, that they were going to just continue with Michael's script. But they did not. And the reason I think is pretty clear.

 

[Serpico Jones]

Actually, Abrams wrote some pretty terrible movies in the 90's including Gone Fishing and Armageddon.

 

[Solidus]

Oh ya, he did. But since the 90's he's gotten much better. He has not written a "terrible" movie since Armageddon. His work with Alias, Lost, Fringe, MI3, and Super 8 have been quite good. I admit Super 8 and MI3 had problems here and there, but not even close to bad.

Frank Darabont started out with terrible scripts too, but got better and better. I'm not saying he's the best writer, but he is one that continues to get better. And some just shrug off all the other work with TV he has done too. The first season of Lost was one of his babies, after season 2 he went more into film and went into a little of Fringe.

But for quite a while JJ has done pretty good with his writing, and I think working with his passion of SW, and Kasdan, and still he worked with Ardnt for quite some time too, I think the combination will make it even that much better.