Without a doubt : J.J Abrams is the best director for 'Star Wars 7'

Star Wars 7 keeps getting better

I'm really delighted to hear about J.J Abrams directing 'Star Wars 7' after seeing how he transformed the Star Trek franchise and gave it such a huge comeback, that quite frankly, fans like me, didn't expect.

Now that Disney are taking over the Star Wars legacy, I think it's fitting that they work with a director who has been able to successfully re-start another iconic franchise like Star Trek, and make it so compelling, that fans are going crazy for the upcoming sequel.

When George Lucas announced that he would be handing over Star Wars to the "new generation of filmmakers", he certainly made that point loud and clear to the world. Now that the franchise is being revamped, Star Wars fans will want the new film to keep the magic of the original franchise, but also have a new direction from a director who can identify with it and move it forward. That is not going to be an easy task and I can only imagine that fans of the Star Wars franchise are going to have lots of questions about whether Abrams is the right choice. There is also the Star Wars, Star Trek rivalry, which is an argument that will go on for quite some time. Can fans of both franchises be excited about Abrams directing 'Star Wars VII'?

There are, without a doubt, huge expectations for any Star Wars film, and Disney will have to deliver something the fans will admire, and cherish, like Paramount did when they took bold action on changing the Star Trek franchise after 10 movies. When I spoke with Olivier Tena at Paramount about the success of the 2009 release of 'Star Trek', he had had nothing but praise for Abrams' direction:

"J.J. Abrams did something amazing with Star Trek . I was impressed with how he redefined the story and had a vision for how it would move forward. This is what makes it successful; when you have a director who understands the roots of the story, and creates something exciting and builds something very unique.." - Full Interview

But moving on from the Star Trek success, in the Star Wars history there are decades of characters, story arcs, and cultural identities that need to be considered. The casting, set design, costumes, and camera direction gave vivid and memorable personalities to the previous films, so keeping that magic and re-defining it in the new film, will be the greatest challenge.

I personally think that J.J Abrams as a director is the kind of visionary who will understand the core values of the Star Wars franchise, and be able to adapt, and re-invent it to give it another path.

Also, being a long-time fan of Disney, I've always admired their ability to go into the detail on productions, to find the best ways to entertain and thrill audiences and bring to life such iconic characters. From my perspective Disney is going to be very dedicated to maintaining the authenticity of Star Wars, whilst creating an exciting adventure for sci-fi lovers. I also feel that because Abrams is getting involved, there is going to be something that we are not expecting, that will make this new film an even stronger sequel, with it's own aura, and impact. I really can't wait to see how they approach this, and how Lucas guides the team towards making this new film a work of art. All I can say is good luck to the whole crew working on this. Millions of people will be talking about this movie for decades to come when it comes out in 2015!

Iain Alexander

Founder - Film Industry Network

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