The end of the Empire was hardly the end of the Dark Side. We talked a lot about what might have happened. We were constantly saying “Oh, this could be great for VIII” or “This would be so much fun to do now but we have to wait until IX for that”. We wound up walking miles and miles.Ībrams: I can’t imagine how many fans have told their own versions of these stories. We did a lot of talking and a lot of walking. Kasdan: That whole process carried us through Los Angeles, Santa Monica, London, Paris and New York City. What must have happened to these characters? We began to find moments that would make us laugh or give us chills or have us question, “Well, what happens next?” Kasdan: They said, “Would you leave Han for a while and come to work on VII?” People were already hired and they were starting to spend money in England, but there was no script! So JJ and I started it again.Ībrams: It was sort of a magical thing because we got to say “what if?” The way that Jedi ends, it gives you a sense of closure and a sense of alignment and balance but at the same time, you know, time marches on. We had to decide: do we wait another year-and-a-half or not? It really wasn’t an option for Kathy and the studio, and frankly I couldn’t wait until sometime next year to begin shooting this thing. It wasn't really a document to sit down and start developing a movie from.Ībrams: Michael Arndt started working on the script but Michael needed 18 months more than anyone had signed up for. Kennedy: George had done a sketch of the story he had in mind, but that was done for the sale of the company.
But it had been so long and it was clear that the intention was to recall the energy and the fun of the original trilogy, and that was very attractive to me. Kasdan: I’d turned down Phantom Menace because, after writing Empire and Jedi, I'd had enough. They said, “Here are the subjects, you can choose one.” So I chose Han Solo, but they also asked if I would consult on Episode VII.Ībrams: He wrote Empire and Jedi! Having Lawrence Kasdan in the room with you when you are wondering, “Just what happened to the Empire?”, or “Where is Leia at this moment?” was fabulous. Lawrence Kasdan (Screenwriter): George and Kathy said they were gonna do some more Star Wars movies. Kennedy: The more we got to talking about it, the more we resurrected all those feelings that he had about what Star Wars meant to him.Ībrams: I had fully intended to once again say ‘thank you but no thank you.’ But when I heard how she wanted to do this in the most emotional, character-based and authentic way, I found myself leaning forward and, just for a moment, imagining what it would be to direct a Star Wars movie. But more than any of that, it was terrifying.
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He told his agent no twice, so I decided to just go talk to him directly.Ībrams: I had spent the last few years living in another series of films that took place in space, plus my family and I were supposed to go on six-month vacation. Kathleen Kennedy (Producer): I’ve known JJ since he was 15 years old and he was always way at the top of my list. Abrams (Director): I was in post on Into Darkness when I first got the call from Kathy saying she wanted to talk about Star Wars. Here is the story behind the most anticipated movie in a decade, from the people who made it.
Three years on, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has finally arrived, to continue the saga where it left off in 1983. It wasn't the dollar value of the purchase (a shade over $4 billion) or Lucas' sudden retirement from filmmaking, but the revelation that, despite his former insistence to the contrary, the Star Wars story would continue.
On October 30 2012, George Lucas announced the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and shocked the world.