My thoughts on the future of Star Wars

This has nothing to do with Korea... pretty much at all, but its still something that I want to talk about as its as about as important to me as many things in life.

I'm going to talk about Star Wars.

Now for those who know me really well, this is nothing new. I talk about Star Wars all time to the point that I can subconsciously quote lines from the films with no afterthought. Ever since seeing them as a young boy, they have left a huge impact on my life and are responsible for opening the door to one of my biggest passions in life, watching, analyzing and enjoying the art of film.

It goes without saying that Star Wars has gone a little stale over the years with the dilution of the prequel trilogy and woeful expanded universe spin offs that were generally, not very good. There were a few bright spots, but for the most part Star Wars had become the definition of an over-milked franchise long past its due date. It's not that the core story was bad, it just needed a fresh start that took everything that the original movies stood for and presented them in new and exciting way.

This morning was the announcement of the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas selling the Star Wars franchise (along with Indiana Jones, ILM and Lucasarts) to Disney for $4.05 billion. While he would still retain creative consultation, the direction of these movies would be handed off to a new series of directors.

Honestly, this news comes as nothing more as pure exciting expectation The announcement of a new Star Wars trilogy starting in 2015 with a new entry coming out every two to three years. While this may sound like overkill, this is in fact quite possibly the best thing to happen to the series since The Empire Strikes Back.

The thing that held back the prequel trilogy was Lucas himself. While his creative visions were spectacular and inspiring, his writing in the movies was horrible. Stiff acting, nonsensical links to the original films and some of the most unlikable characters in cinematic history took Star Wars off a pedestal and into laughing stock territory and garnered enough fanboy rage to last several lifetimes.

Now with other fresh interpretations being brought on board, my mind boggles at the possibilities are. The fact that we are moving away from the prequels era that have been beaten into the ground and into the post Return of the Jedi era that fans have been asking for since 1983 leave me one very excited fan.

The list of directors that could very well craft a masterpiece of a Star Wars film is huge. The wonderful thing about the Star Wars series is the universal appeal and huge rang of its own universe, Literally any kind of story would fit in, a perfect medium for directors to play around in and the reason that the two to three year time period between each movie doesn't bother me. There's enough galaxy and stories for a hundred films if done properly.

Some worry that Disney buying the brand would only dilute the Star Wars we all know and love and that Star Wars has become a corporate entity and not a universe that we all know and love. To them I ask them two questions:

1. Where the hell have you been since 1977? Star Wars suddenly becoming a brand? It's been a brand since 1977.

2. Disney has proven that it cares for its franchises created through other sources. Many moaned that their purchase of Marvel would lead it to a downward spiral. Then The Avengers and The Cinematic Universe happened. Total dilution of quality right?


Some may be cynical, but I could not be more excited. While I don't think we will be seeing a gritty and violent crime drama set in Star Wars' underworld, the new possibilities are exciting and the chance to expand  the universe in a new direction is something that I cannot wait to see.

In 2015, Avengers 2, Justice League and Episode VII will be unleashed in theaters for film fans around the world to watch and enjoy. I haven't been this excited for anything Star Wars since being a child. Bring em on. Bring em all on.

* Finally, because I obsess over stuff like this, here's a list of directors I would love to see make a Star Wars movie. My God, my fanboy mode is going insane..

James Cameron (Titanic, Aliens, Avatar)

Duncan Jones (Moon)

Neil Blomkamp (Distirct 9)

Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs, the World, Hot Fuzz)

Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises)

Joe Johnson (Captain America: The First Avenger) *note: He was on record for saying he would like to do a Boba Fett movie so who knows?

Brad Bird (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The Incredibles)

Ridley Scott (Prometheus, Alien, Blade Runner)

Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) 

Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit)

Joss Whedon (Firefly, The Avengers)

I really can't wait. Where I once saw Star Wars as a soulless husk I now see a glimmer of hope. May the Force be with us, all of us.

Goofy doesn't seem right as Darth Vader...