As exciting as it is to think about J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt collaborating on a new Star Wars movie, one interesting aspect of that lineup is who's not involved. Though George Lucas invented that universe, and though he'll stay on the franchise as a "creative consultant," he won't be driving the new trilogy in any real sense. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up for debate, but either way it's definitely something different.
For his part, Lucas seems to welcome that change. While he's happily talked up Abrams as an "ideal choice" to take the series forward, he apparently hasn't done much at all on the new films so far. In fact, he hasn't even spoken to Abrams about Episode VII yet. Hit the jump to read Lucas' comments.
Lucas and Abrams are definitely on good terms — Lucas hasn't been stingy in his praise of Abrams, and Abrams himself has said that he plans to turn to Lucas for help. "The advantage here is that we still have George Lucas with us to go to and ask questions and get his feedback on things, which I certainly will do," he said this spring.
It doesn't sound like he's gotten around to doing that just yet, however. Lucas revealed to Access Hollywood that the two have yet to sit down together.
I have not spoken to J.J. He's been busy with Star Trek, and I'm sure that he'll let me know when he's got some questions. So, you know, that's all going well. Kathy tells me it's working out great.
Not that Lucas minds all that much. "I think it's great," he said of passing on the torch. "I don't have to worry about these guys any more."
It's likely that the lack of communication between Lucas and Abrams so far has as much to do with the timing as anything. As Lucas points out, Abrams has been tied up with Star Trek Into Darkness until very recently. I'm sure they'll put their heads together at some point in the process, and I look forward to seeing what happens when they do.
But all in all, it's probably for the best that Lucas is genuinely stepping aside to let Abrams do his own thing. There's not much point in hiring notable talents like Arndt and Abrams if they're just going to carrying out Lucas' wishes. This way, we get to see what fresh blood can actually bring to this classic franchise.
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