J.J. Abrams says Star Wars Episode VIII script is finished…and other news.
It most certainly was a busy weekend for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as we had an all new international trailer drop, which featured some amazing new footage. Then, as if by some mysterious miracle, on Sunday morning, the official television spot for The Force Awakens dropped with all new footage of it’s own. Now, it’s the film’s director — J.J. Abrams — turn in the spotlight, as a couple of online magazines have held some interviews with him.
First up, Abrams talked to Wired about the script to The Force Awakens, but more importantly, the director of Episode VII was asked about the script to Episode VIII:
"“The script for VIII is written. I’m sure rewrites are going to be endless, like they always are. But what Larry and I did was set up certain key relationships, certain key questions, conflicts. And we knew where certain things were going. We had meetings with Rian and Ram Bergman, the producer of VIII. They were watching dailies when we were shooting our movie. We wanted them to be part of the process, to make the transition to their film as seamless as possible. I showed Rian an early cut of the movie, because I knew he was doing his rewrite and prepping. And as executive producer of VIII, I need that movie to be really good. Withholding serves no one and certainly not the fans. So we’ve been as transparent as possible.”"
That’s highly interesting, especially since Star Wars Episode VIII is not yet slated for release until May of 2017. Now, like Abrams stated, there is sure to many changes made, as most films are an ever evolving entity that tends to take on a life of its own. I also really love the fact that Abrams is taking ownership in Episode VIII, as it means that he has a stake in the film’s success, and wants it to be as successful in the box office and fulfilling to Star Wars fans, as The Force Awakens is sure to be.
Next, J.J. talked about the mystery surrounding The Force Awakens. As you know, information regarding the film has been near impossible to come by. Abrams says that is all by design. He gives credit to the folks at Disney — Bob Iger and Alan Horn — for being supportive in not airing too much material that may spoil the film for fans.
"“There’s a really positive side to keeping quiet. You can protect the audience from spoilers or certain moments that, in a way, obviate the movie experience. But on the other hand, you risk being seen as coy or as a withholding shithead. That’s never my intent. Because Lucasfilm has been so engaged with the fans and so forthcoming about what they’re doing, it would have felt oddly inconsistent to not show anything until just before the movie came out. I actually personally pushed to have a teaser come out a year before, just because it felt like, as a fan of Star Wars, if I could see even the littlest thing I’d be psyched a year out. Why not? So we did.”"
Abrams also notes that he doesn’t want to destroy too many illusions, because he’s walking a tightrope in regard to how much you show of the film before it premieres. Show too much and it’s no good. Don’t show enough, and you come off looking like what he calls “arrogant jerks” for not showing anything at all. You can read the entire interview with Wired at the provided link, and I highly suggest you do, as it’s extremely interesting.
Next: Boyega and Ridley Interview Each Other, Boyega Experiments with the Dark Side
Star Wars: The Force Awakens premieres for early screenings on December 17, and then worldwide on December 18. Make sure you’ve got your tickets!