OFFICIAL NEWS Disney didn’t Use George Lucas’ Ideas for The Force Awakens.

So if what we have been told by GL is true, that Disney decided to go in a completely different direction than the outlines he wrote for the ST, it makes me wonder what's different from his version and the version we are getting.

Maybe he's just being modest, the outline for the PT was great the execution was flawed, all GL needs is other brilliant minds to work with him.

I'm excited either way, but I don't like hearing about this stuff. GL isn't a completely bad writer, but he's best working in concert with other brilliant minds -- which is what I thought was happening with TFA (his outline other people filling that outline in).

 

I was surprised that they went in a different direction (than George Lucas' suggested story treatment). I believed that they would use his treatment as a general outline for the sequel trilogy. So at first I was like Woohoo! that Lucas' treatment was out of the picture, but then I realized it was my prequel bitterness talking. After all, I do not mind the general outline of the prequels - how Palpatine transforms the Republic into the Empire and how the clone armies become the Imperial Army are two sound concepts - it was the execution.
Now, with no Lucas general outline, I am worried that the Disney treatment will ...I don't know, I am slightly worried. Not for JJ Abrams helming the picture and the actors and all that (all the other stuff where the prequels failed), but for the fact that, after all, Lucas has had some pretty good conceptual ideas and now they are not running with them (of course, maybe Lucas' concepts for a sequel trilogy weren't that good).

 

I do wonder how much Bob Iger and Alan Horn are throwing their weight around behind the scenes. I don't really trust them.

 

Who to blame (or credit, depending upon your POV):

a) Bob Iger
b) Alan Horn
c) Kathleen Kennedy
d) Kiri Hart (who?)
e) J.J. Abrams
f) Lawrence Kasdan
g) Simon Kinberg
h) Michael Arndt
i) George Lucas
j) more than one
k) other (such as Harrison Ford)

 

Wow! This has to be for the better.

 

I could see Disney not wanting to use the treatments purely because they now own SW outright and want to put their stamp on the new films. The big executives are quite egotistical and don't like being seen as leaning on outside agencies for story ideas. Regardless of Lucas' prior importance, he is now powerless and paid off. Although Lucasfilm makes SW, Disney will make sure they know it is calling all the shots like some benign Mafia

 

You called it Max!

 

Not sure how to feel about this. On the surface I don't like it, but I am still excited for the ST.

GL has always been able to come up with good ideas. The outline for the PT was sound, the execution was flawed. All GL needs is other talented artists to work in concert with him in creating a shared vision and bringing it to life. That didn't happen with the PT. It had sounded like the ST would have been that.

GL's outline filled in and brought to life by other brilliant minds. Now it sounds like his outline, like the last remnants of the old republic, has been swept away.

Again, I'm still excited for the future, I trust in KK, JJA, and co., but this news does take some of the luster away -- albeit perhaps just temporarily.

 

I've also always wondered what sort of deal they really worked out with Harrison Ford. Did that affect later drafts of the script? From everything from the movie or movies of the ST, to Indiana Jones, to the Star Wars spin-off movie, etc.

 

Well, to be honest, it is kind of a letdown for me. You know, outside of Tron and later the Marvel Movies, I wasn't fond of that Lucasfilm and SW buy-out with news that there will be Episode 7 - I was like: ''Oh, god, all the Disney Movies I saw were full of embarassing crap - not to mention their original shows.''

The I read that they have obtained even the GL's treatments and I was like ''YEAH'', because for me, Star Wars is George Lucas and his story he wants to tell.
Now, the TFA for me is only another EU, which I will like if it is good, but I am not that hyped as I was before this news.

 

It was in October 2013 that it was announced Arndt was off the project. THR said it was because Abrams wanted the old cast as the main characters with the new cast relegated to supporting roles until later movies.

 

I'm sure they are going with the rough outlines from George. They are probably just different enough for him to not like and disown.

I really hope there is still some George Lucas in these movies. Love or hate the prequels, it's not Star Wars with out a little George spinkled in.

 

I'm a little disappointed about this but it isn't like ol' Georgy Boy is the only one who can come up with good ideas and really, sooner or later there will be new "main saga episodes" made without his input.

Hopefully what they scrapped was the whole moral grey area concept he was going for. I like my heroes good and my villains bad.

 

It's possible that if Luke, Han and Leia's roles have been expanded, then new contracts will have been hammered out which would have caused even more delays during the screenplay development. But hopefully Episodes 8 and 9 will move along much more smoothly on the basis of all important castmembers' participations now being locked down.

 

I'm kinda hoping the big 3 dont have huge roles. I want Luke to have the biggest role, commensurate with obi-wan in the OT. Leia should be like mon mothma/dodonna/reiken, the big boss with just a few scenes and lines per movie. I wouldn't mind if there was no han, but I'm sure he'll be the biggest role since Ford is the biggest actor by far.

I love Han in the OT, but a fringe smuggler turning legit is an arc that's fun. An old guy how is already legit has less room for an arc. The jack sparrow/wolverine type character is fun until they become the central character.

 

This is huge letdown for me.