| 05.29.2013 – Everyone has already heard and VERY excited about the news that J.J. Abrams will direct the upcoming Star Was Episode VII. After that success of “Star Trek Into Darkness” J.J. Abrams is heading to A Galaxy Far Far Away.
Columnist Reuben V. Napales for the Philippine Daily Inquirer spoke to Abrams a few weeks ago (published in Entertainment May 19, 2013) has asked about his mindset going from one big project to an even grander film, one that has been raising a lot of expectations since it was announced early this year. |
J.J. said in his recent interview with Napales, “Every project that I’ve been lucky to be involved in felt like an opportunity that was more exciting than it was intimidating. A lot of people said, ’Oh my God, the pressure of doing Star Trek’ or ‘Mission Impossible.’ The truth is I happen to have walked into three very different stories, all of which is larger than all of us and pre-existed. I would say that is an incredible surreal honor and opportunity to be involved in the new ‘Star Wars.’ I already feel that there are things that I’d love to share with but it’s premature.”
The upcoming Star Wars film won’t be out until 2015Abrams said” a wildly exciting thing to be involved in,” and he talked about George Lucas, the creator of the space saga franchise that has millions of rabid fans. “I’ve known George socially for a number of years,” said TV’s golden boy who has metamorphosed into a feature film director. “I remember completely the first time I met him who was in a social situation, it wasn’t a business thing at all. He’s been incredibly gracious and kind.”
Advice from George Lucas
Abrams has directed the first “Star Trek” in 2009 and have mentioned he approach George Lucas for advice, “We’ve had our debates about film versus digital or about the approach to visual effect. I remember when I was doing the first ‘Star Trek’ movie, I said to George, ‘Can I ask your advice? If you were doing ‘Star Trek,’ what would you do and what should I do?’ I was trying to see what he would say. He said, ‘I don’t know, put light sabers in it.’ He wasn’t being very helpful. But he was being funny and incredibly solicitous. So I’ve been very grateful to him. Not just because of the movies he made when I was kid. But because he’s been willing to share his experience and wisdom and be a friend.”
Star Trek Sacrilege
J.J. (initials stand for Jeffrey Jacob) was inspired by Lucas’ original blockbuster that made a huge impact in his career as a director. His father Gerald was a TV producer. “Clearly, ‘Star Wars’ when I saw it at 11 years old was monumental,” he said. “So was the ‘Mission Impossible’ TV series which was part of the inspiration for creating ‘Alias’ (the TV series the he created and starred Jennifer Garner) and part of the reason why I got to direct a ‘Mission Impossible’ movie. I remember watching ‘The Twilight Zone‘ and the original ‘Batman’ series with Adam West— All these things.
“I remember listening to E.G. Marshall on the ‘CBS Mystery Theater.’ So it’s been a very weird experience of being inspired by certain television shows and movies, radio and books. Then incredibly fortunate to be able to actually create or be involved in projects that have harnessed some of that inspiration and ambition or at least try to work at the level of those predecessors.
The Rebooter
Abrams also spoke about the pressure during the time when he was tasked to reboot ‘Star Trek’ if he experienced hostile reaction when it was announced that he was going to be the director and he answered, “I won’t say I haven’t received nasty letters. When we first started doing the first ‘Star Trek’ movie, we had a fear that ‘Star Trek’ fans wouldn’t embrace it. We were recasting iconic characters. It was sacrilege. Yet, the majority of ‘Star Trek’ fans embraced this new iteration. There are always those who are doubters.”
The graduate of Sarah Lawrence College said, “What I’m hoping is that we’re done,” the “Star Wars” fans will be happy. “There’s an amazing group of people who I’m working with, included Larry (Lawrence) Kasdan and Simon Kinberg (creative consultants), Kathy (Kathleen) Kennedy (Producer) and Michael Arndt (writer). I’m aware of what the opportunity is and I’m incredibly hopeful for what it’s going to be so we’ll see.”
He has successfully re-booted the “Star Trek” and “Mission Impossible” franchises and is now poised to bring the latest installment of the “Star Wars” franchise to a new generation; J.J. rejects the “Rebooter” tag.
“The last thing that I, or probably anyone, want to be known as is the Rebooter,” he stressed. “One of the reasons why I said no immediately (at first)to even the idea of being involved with ‘Star Wars’ was that I felt like, dear God, I’d already worked on ‘Mission Impossible’ and ‘Star Trek.’ I can’t possibly even consider it. But when I met with Kathy Kennedy, it went from a theoretical thing to a very tangible thing. I realized what creative opportunity was there. It was too delicious and too full potential.”
He explained, “The truth I, maybe to a huge fault, I am not a snob when it comes to where the inspiration comes from. I know it’s probably a more sophisticated thing to make a movie based on a novel than on an old TV show. It’s probably cooler thing to have an original screenplay than do a movie based on an existing film series. But if there’s something that gets you, where you feel like, ‘Oh, that’s special…’ I don’t care where it comes from. Even the film that I did last, ‘Super 8,’ was based on an experience I had growing up, seeing Steven Spielberg-produced films and the idea of doing an Amblin film with him was too much fun. It was a little bit like going back in time. “So it’s not about reboots. It’s about telling any kind of story that you have to love as a storyteller, you have to love the characters and you have to feel the passion at the core of the story. I think we’ve all seen remakes and reboots that felt like the result of a marketing department dictating what they could sell and finding people to make that thing for them to sell. They work sometimes. Oftentimes, they don’t and they feel a little hollow.”
The rest of the article also talked about how terrific a villain Benedict Cumberbatch was in Star Trek Intro Darkness but if you want to read the full article you can find the full details HERE.
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