Josh-da-man

I wouldn't be broken up about Abrams exit at all.

I actually find him to be a very pedestrian director. His stuff is glossy and flashy, but also calculating and doesn't have any, for lack of a better term, "soul."

I just can't really connect with anything he does. Cloverfield was lots of pretty young people running from explosions and rubbery CGI monsters, but I never really connected with any of them. Super 8 is a vapid pastiche of a much better director that I don't think I'll ever feeling like watching again. The Star Trek movies succeeded because of the franchise; take away the recognizable uniforms, names, and ships, and it's completely forgettable. Even then, they feel like they could have been directed by anybody with a film school degree.

JumpCutz

Cloverfield was directed by Matt Reeves.

joe_b

Latino Review is reporting that Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron () may have taken meetings about Episode VII. No word on the role Efron is up for, but they mention Gosling is definitely being courted for Luke's son.

They also mentioned Leonardo DiCaprio (again, ) already passed on a role in favor of doing a Robotech movie.

It's f*cking Star Wars, for god's sake -- they don't need to cast directly from People's sexiest men issue to get butts in seats. Why not put faith in some talented unknowns? I'm waiting for Kristen Stewart or Selena Gomez to be announced at any moment.

Sonic

Call me nuts but I would like to see Justin Bieber get a role. Maybe Han Solo's son?

Dr. DVD

I hope Abrams doesn't pass, but if they can bring in Brad Bird or even Ben Affleck, I would be for it.

joe_b

Alec Guiness was of course a distinguished performer. It would be like casting Ian McKellan today, which I'd have no problem with. Peter Cushing was mainly known for his films with Hammer Studios playing Van Helsing and Baron Frankenstein -- mostly B-level projects (as Star Wars was considered at the time), but still well known. Harrison was a working actor, but Star Wars was definitely his big break. I think JEJ saw more work (especially in voice overs) after the film. Billy Dee was probably the biggest name at the time of his casting, after Brian's Song and his two films with Diana Ross made him a major chick magnet.

Still, none of them were huge tabloid/teen mag fodder like Gosling and Efron. To me, it would have been like casting Ryan O'Neal as Han Solo and David Cassidy as Luke Skywalker... I'm just not feeling it at all. Still, I'd take them both over Leonardo DiCaprio.

Supermallet

Efron's not so bad, honestly.

dex14

I liked him a lot in Liberal Arts. He was good in Me and Orson Wells and The Paperboy too.

joe_b

I thought The Paperboy was ridiculous, but it was worth watching just for that "psychic orgasm" scene between Kidman and Cusack.

Michael Corvin

They need to get that kid from Life as a House. That kid's going places.

JumpCutz

Ryan Gosling? Just doesn't seem like a fit. Who knows.

Supermallet

The Paperboy is horrible, but Efron was decent in it.

RocShemp

+1

islandclaws

Because M.I. - GP was such a masterpiece of modern cinema? I understand why Bird is revered in the animation field, but his first foray into live-action was a cliche-riddled, overrated action flick. That doesn't inspire confidence to me.

bluetoast

How about not having Brad Bird drop in because he's fucking busy with Tomorrowland, plus he still needs to do 1906.

JumpCutz

Ghost Protocol was crap.

anomynous

Ryan Gosling as Luke's son?







Don't/shouldn't they mean Han's?

bluetoast

Pretty sure they're throwing the books out the window so they can have it be anybody's offspring if they want.

taffer

Luke and Mara Jade had a son too named Ben Skywalker.


The EU has never been canon in the first place. The prequel trilogy already retconned several things from the EU. Its best just to view the EU as an alternate universe like the new Star Trek movies.

RocShemp

Well, at least Zac Efron has experience wielding a lightsaber:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/y72sjnGGxiI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Deadman31

ya maybe his boyfriends light saber.

milo bloom

I'm not getting the hate - I remember everybody losing their shit over DiCaprio being rumored for Anakin for the prequels, and then we got Hayden Christiansen and years later people are all like, "hmm, maybe Leonardo wouldn't have been so bad..."

And then look at Natalie Portman, Ewan MacGregegor, Christopher Lee, even Ian MacDarmid, established actors that had their moments (esp. Ewan, he owned the prequels).

This project needs actors and it needs a director that can get people to play the parts. Abrams' Treks might have been a little light on story, but the recasting hit the mark dead-on (especially Karl Urban).

superdeluxe

Live action Robotech movie?

I'm sold!

slop101

I don't know, I think going with unknowns, like they did with episode IV would work best.

Jay G.

You mean like Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, and James Earl Jones?

Personally, I just want good actors. I don't care if they're well known or not; as long as they make me believe they're those characters and make me care about them, I'm good.