'Star Wars' And J.J. Abrams: Five Burning Questions
While we're still trying to catch our geeky, asthmatic breath in the wake of this "J.J. Abrams directing 'Star Wars' " news, there are a few questions that immediately spring to mind.
The possibility of Abrams taking on the franchise from a galaxy far, far away was mostly written off by fans who claimed he couldn't possible direct both "Star Trek" and "Star Wars," but now that all bets are off, there's a universe of unanswered mysteries that need attending to.
These are the questions we're asking about J.J. Abrams directing "Star Wars."
Lens Flares
Hardy, har, har. "J.J. Abrams uses lens flares all the time in 'Star Trek.' Will they be in 'Star Wars'?" We get it. You're hilarious, but it does actually bring up a good point. Abrams, in his theatrical work at least, has had a consistent aesthetic, lens flares being a part of that. But how much will an Abrams-directed "Star Wars" look like an Abrams-directed "Star Trek"? The two franchises have throughout their histories maintained distinct looks, but now that they share a director, will the two meet somewhere in the middle? Could the fans possibly handle a "Star Wars" movie that looks like "Star Trek"?
Speaking of the fans ...
Fan Fallout
There are two kinds of people in this world: "Star Trek" fans and "Star Wars" fans. Someone can like both, but they will never like the two series equally. With his first "Star Trek" movie, Abrams arguably brought the tone of that series closer to the original "Star Wars" films, movies he has very publicly stated his love of. But can one man really have feet in both camps? The two have been at odds forever, and in the aftermath of the Lucasfilm-Disney announcement, it was this very rivalry that made many fans mentally disqualify Abrams from their list of dream directors. Are we at the advent of a universal "Star Trek"-"Star Wars" fan peace treaty? Only time will tell.
Who's He Bringing With?
The one piece of speculation that universally has people excited about the concept of a "Star Wars" movie directed by Abrams is whether he'll bring Michael Giacchino on to write the score. Obviously no "Star Wars" movie would ever make it to the screen without the requisite John Williams theme, but with the legendary composer potentially retiring, that would leave an opening for Abrams' Academy Award-winning collaborator to step in. This would be a very, very good thing.
The Future of "Trek"
A question we would have all been asking ourselves in a few months doesn't seem to be relevant anymore. "Will Abrams return for a third 'Star Trek' movie?" With Abrams now tied up until at least 2015, the future of his first sci-fi franchise hangs in the balance. Assuming that he directs only the first installment of the new trilogy, a new "Trek" movie with Abrams at the helm would hit theaters by 2017 at the earliest. Could Abrams really go from "Star Trek" to "Star Wars" and back?
What About Ben?
When The Wrap broke the story, they mentioned that Ben Affleck was also in contention for the job (something he denied to MTV News), but with him out the running, where does he go next? Affleck told Josh Horowitz at the National Board of Reviews awards that he had to drop out of "Focus" with Kristen Stewart to return to writing "Live By Night," a crime drama he supposedly plans on tackling next. But with "Argo" pushing Affleck's value as a director higher than ever, studios will likely be clamoring to hire him for something on a blockbuster scale. So if it's not "Star Wars," what project will take Affleck to the next level?
