STAR WARS VII (2015) - John Williams Signed Up!

[TomServo]

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/disney-postpon ... 00425.html

They can blame it on the new movies, but I think the box-office prospects for 3D reissues are growing dimmer. Disney canned their LITTLE MERMAID reissue and I think after PHANTOM MENACE did mediocre box-office, they probably figured ATTACK OF THE CLONES -- probably the most disliked of any Star Wars -- wasn't going to do particularly well. The handwriting was already on the wall.

I think one reason more likely is that since 20th Century Fox still holds distribution rights for the films for the next 6-7 years, it winds up being additional revenue that Disney just doesn't want to hand over to anyone else. Once they gain full distribution rights for the original six movies, I am sure the 3D conversion and release will continue, especially since Lucasfilm was already pretty much done converting CLONES for its release this year. In 6-7 years time, Disney could mount the 3D release of the series, plus even the 3D version of the latest J.J. Abrams-directed installment.

[AndyDursin]

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/disney-postpon ... 00425.html

They can blame it on the new movies, but I think the box-office prospects for 3D reissues are growing dimmer. Disney canned their LITTLE MERMAID reissue and I think after PHANTOM MENACE did mediocre box-office, they probably figured ATTACK OF THE CLONES -- probably the most disliked of any Star Wars -- wasn't going to do particularly well. The handwriting was already on the wall.

I think one reason more likely is that since 20th Century Fox still holds distribution rights for the films for the next 6-7 years, it winds up being additional revenue that Disney just doesn't want to hand over to anyone else. Once they gain full distribution rights for the original six movies, I am sure the 3D conversion and release will continue, especially since Lucasfilm was already pretty much done converting CLONES for its release this year. In 6-7 years time, Disney could mount the 3D release of the series, plus even the 3D version of the latest J.J. Abrams-directed installment.

Could be a consideration, though I still wonder why would they'd bother when THE PHANTOM MENACE barely did $40 million domestically. Disney themselves are the ones who have watched 3-D re-releases of FINDING NEMO and MONSTERS INC severely underperform at the box-office. I think the studio is aware that the public just isn't interested in most 3-D conversions of 2-D movies you can watch in HD on Blu-Ray or DVD, which is enough for most people. It was a fad that got going there but has fizzled out. THE LITTLE MERMAID was all lined up for this fall and they canceled it because of how poorly their last few 3-D conversions have fared. I can't imagine there was ever going to be a real appetite for ATTACK OF THE CLONES in 3-D...now, bringing them out on Blu-Ray or streaming them online is another issue. We'll probably have to wait on that, you're right.

The future of how the films in general will be distributed will be interesting to see, though as we saw with Disney's purchase of Marvel (which had films tied up with Paramount distributing them), I'm sure they knew what they were getting when they signed up. I also can't believe that Lucasfilm is going to be "disinterested" in pushing sales of the original trilogy until 2020 simply because Fox still has home video rights. Even with Fox's home video distribution cut (which is 6-8% of receipts according to this http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/i ... 6?page=0,0), that'd be like throwing money away by not doing anything with those films for the next 7 years. Not doing a new release when the next movie comes out would be inconsistent with Lucas' track record.

Indiana Jones is different because Paramount owns a larger cut (12% according to that article) and retains rights for all future sequels on top of it...unless Disney buys them out as they did with Marvel, they'd probably stay with Paramount. But, at the same hand, it's not like that franchise has as much of a shelf life with Harrison Ford not being able to keep making movies indefinitely. It also doesn't have nearly the box-office or general appeal of the Star Wars series, or produces as much revenue in merchandizing.

[Eric W.]

They would be wise to not dust off the old cast. I really don't mean to be mean about this but have you seen them? Carrie? Mark?....it's not pretty. Even Harrison is finally showing his age. The original Trek cast walked away in 1991 on a high note but they were pushing it. This will be considerably worse if these folks come in for any appreciable screen time. It's just too damned late.


At best, they can do a quickie Forrest Gump style CGI salute, hand the baton off...but these sequels need to be far enough in the future where you just move forward clean.


It really is a shame we had to wait THIS long to finally move forward. Ridiculous.

[AndyDursin]

Here's another reason why I believe we will see another STAR WARS release on Blu-Ray, and before 2020:

-There are no trailers on the current BD release. No TV spots, no trailers, nothing.

-Deleted scenes from the prequels not included

-That Kevin Burns excellent documentary on the series also present

All of those were on the initial DVD releases, and IMO they will be held for the next release, as a bonus as if to say "we didn't include these the last time so if you want them you'll have to buy this new release" -- presumably with the theatrical versions on top of it.

This kind of thing happened ALL THE TIME on laserdisc and especially DVD. The first DVD release of STAR WARS didn't have the theatrical versions. The later release did.

Studios and the folks who produce these discs know what they're doing to fans...they weren't just an oversight, they were excluded for a reason.

[DavidBanner]

A couple of things to keep in mind:

1. The 3D conversions of the Star Wars movies were not handled in business terms in a way that professionals would have enjoyed. Essentially, Lucas bid the work out to a few reputable companies and then decided he didn't want to pay even the lowest bid. So he had the work done in-house for an even-cheaper number, after he got what he could from the companies that had bid on the idea. The result is that the conversion was not expected to be of the quality it could have been had he not gone cheap. On the other hand, these are 2D movies that weren't designed for 3D, so there isn't a lot that could be done in any case without it looking like the colorized movies from the 80s...

2. Given that Disney has complete ownership of Lucasfilm, all decisions to be made both creatively and financially will be in the hands of the owner. There was a reason why Lucas kept his company independent, particularly after the nightmare he had on the first Star Wars. Now that he's sold the company and taken the payout, neither he nor Kathleen Kennedy will be able to tell Disney when or how they should release their products. Kennedy is now the head of a small arm of Disney, which has the potential to make the parent company a bunch of money once it releases something. That said, Disney won't want to pass up an opportunity to make some money where they can - particularly when they are promoting new movies starting in 2015.

One other thing - they've announced 2015 as a release year. But you never know. That could easily slide into 2016, particularly given that the chosen director has a very busy schedule, including other movies he'd like to make, and of course his television projects. (Now, if Abrams could just focus on the television projects and maybe hire a director to do Episode VII...)

[DavidBanner]

I promise I wrote that line about Episode VII pushing to 2016 before I read the official announcement about it. Not that it was a big surprise to anyone involved...

[AndyDursin]

2015 seemed overly ambitious to me with everything else he's got lined up. I still can't believe they announced JURASSIC PARK IV for 2014 without a director, cast, or anything else! (I'm sure that'll end up being 2015 -- if it even comes out at all)

[John Johnson]

John Williams confirmed for VII.

http://starwars.com/news/star-wars-cele ... e-vii.html

[AndyDursin]

Thats the first good news film music has had this year.

[Paul MacLean]

I have mixed feelings about this. While these will certainly be the best scores in a long time, we already have six Star Wars scores. I'd really rather hear John Williams devote his energy and time to something new.

[AndyDursin]

I understand that sentiment. Still, given that he's only scoring Spielberg's increasingly mundane pictures otherwise, I'll take it.

[Paul MacLean]

I understand that sentiment. Still, given that he's only scoring Spielberg's increasingly mundane pictures otherwise, I'll take it.

I suppose I'm also a bit irked that he's willing to commit to THREE Star Wars movies, but couldn't commit to one final Harry Potter movie.

[AndyDursin]

I understand that sentiment. Still, given that he's only scoring Spielberg's increasingly mundane pictures otherwise, I'll take it.

I suppose I'm also a bit irked that he's willing to commit to THREE Star Wars movies, but couldn't commit to one final Harry Potter movie.

I don't think he owed the HP franchise anything. That series moved on without him, hiring other composers who barely even reused his thematic material through the later installments (he'd never say it, but perhaps he felt as if the franchise didn't need him as a result). On the other hand, his personal connection with the material, Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, etc. -- the sheer fact he's the only composer the series has ever had -- makes Star Wars one of his lifetime accomplishments, and he probably feels a responsibility to keep it going (and maybe he just likes working on it too?). STAR WARS isn't Star Wars without his music, and it should always remain that way.

I do realize this is something that's been done -- but he's not working with other directors anymore. And I'm much more excited about this than the prospects of him scoring another LINCOLN, or a flatline "interior dramatic" picture with a score I'd never want to listen to apart from the film.

[mkaroly]

Definitely excited to hear what he does with SW VII. I hope he will be alive to do all three...though I can hear some respond to this announcement by saying, "Hire Hans Zimmer! Williams is past it!"

[AndyDursin]

Williams talking about working on the new movie...he seems very enthusiastic. And if this gets his creative juices going at age 80+, that's tremendous..more power to him