JJ Abrams to write and direct Episode IX

@Pawek_13

I was thinking about the very same thing in the last days.

But I don’t agree. I don’t think that what defines his writing are the mystery boxes.
Not saying that they don’t play a part...
But they are... tools
While the main point, the key, is that in almost everything he wrote... the tale is somehow “re-written”.
Even with Felicity.
The last episode of the serie is not only the end game foreshadowed by the pilot,
but a twist. A giant twist that re-writes all the last season.
Fringe does the same constantly.
Alias is that thing form one season to the other (even tho there are not parallel time lines
as there are in Fringe, the characters true identities, or purposes or the context are twisted several times).

And Felicity, Alias and Fringe prove not only that he writes finales, but that he plans them
as well... he’s the master of foreshadowing... to me, he did that with Lost too.
Several details of the pilot episode are explained or addresssed in the last season.
Even tho he wasn’t involved in the last seasons...

However, then the are the ST movies... that created a new time line.
Last came the cloverfield paradox. Yes he didn’t write it, but he was very much
involved in the production.

And I just watched the first movie he wrote... Regarding Henry.
Harrison Ford plays the main character, and the story is that of a man who loose his memory and struggled to regain it.
People tell him who he was, etc... but he discovers some unpleasant truths.
What he ”really” was, what other people were actualy doing, what he was actualy doing etc...
In a sense he has to re-write his own story. Because things were not like people told him.
I see a lot of Henry in Rey as she was in TFA.
Maybe because it’s something I just watched... but the feeling was that.

However to me the key point with JJ is that. His main trait as a storyteller is that.
He rewrites the story, sooner or later.

So....

Personaly, I don’t think we will get any Time Travel.

But... I think there’s a huge chance that we are going to get something that will force
us to watch not only the ST but the entire saga with different eyes, in retrospect.
Especially if he’s really going to try - as he said - to make a movie
to link and close all the nine movies.

And especially if he’s really trying to do something different...

But, we shall see.

 

Ekhm...

 

This is far fetch but

Introduction of a method to mess with time in Rebels opens up something for Episode IX.. but that would suck and it's really about going forward.

JJ, give us your ending! Tell us what you wanted to say all this time!! Great video btw, thanks for sharing!

 

I love TFA and am still pretty mixed about TLJ, so I'm glad this happened, tbh.

 

I personally think JJ Abrams is a hack with the creativity of roadkill platypus.

 

Lucasfilm should take note. Infinity War found a way to incorporate 18 previous stories into a well done 2 1/2 hour narrative. JJ and company only have to do that for 9 previous films that includes Rogue 1 but 10 if you include Solo. It can be done without cheating the narrative or characters.

 

Can JJ and co. deliver?

 

Dexter Jettster as a crucial secondary character in Ep. IX confirmed.

 

Simon Pegg: (35:40) "I imagine they probably made it so that [J. J. Abrams] couldn't say no [to coming back for Star Wars: Episode IX]...and I know J. J. cares deeply about the characters and everything and you know as he's said he's closing out nine films - he's not just making a sequel to [Star Wars:] The Last Jedi - he's making the closing [episode] and he has to embrace all nine of them, all eight of them rather. So I was a little surprised because after [Star Wars:] The Force Awakens you know he sort of - I'd go to Bad Robot to work and he'd just be hanging around, had a bit of a beard <laughs> - I was like, 'What are you doing?' 'I don't know,' [he said]. You know he'd just sort of...I don't know I felt like...I felt the same way after Star Trek Beyond. I felt like 'What do I want to do now?'" "But I think J. J. was like scratching his chin about 'What am I gonna do now?' you know and I think when this came about obviously the idea of managing to close out the stories that he began with The Force Awakens must have felt like you know eventually too much to resist."

"Well I know...I know what J. J. kind of intended [for Rey's parentage] or at least what was being chucked around. I think that's kind of been undone slightly by the last one [in Star Wars: The Last Jedi]. I don't know. I. Don't. Know. <laughs> I think Unkar Plutt is Rey's real father. <laughs> Yeah [Plutt seems like a good father.] <laughs> He was just trying to keep...obesity is a big problem on Jakku. I can't remember what [alien race Plutt] is." "But [Plutt] was worried about Rey gaining weight so he didn't want to give her too many portions you know - limit that." "[So it was going to be different parents for Rey when you were on set chit-chatting?] Well there was some talk about you know a kind of relevant lineage for her. But I honestly don't know [now]. I don't know if anybody knows, you know. We shall see."

"Yeah [fans like yourself have undying curiosity about the sequel trilogy treatment by George Lucas]. I...yeah. No [it's not maybe horrible.] Everybody got - including myself we all got sort of very down on George because of the [Star Wars] prequels but I feel like...no, not you [Josh Horowitz]...and who's laughing now? I think it's like you look at Star Wars - look at the first three [episodes] and you have George Lucas working with a Gary Kurtz or whoever, people who are kind of there to manage his incredible imagination and his ideas and sort of practicalize everything, you know? And I think that combination was what made it all so special and so great. Then you have the prequels which in my opinion you know [where] maybe George's wild untethered brilliance wasn't reigned in enough and his thirst for new technology and maybe it didn't work as well - for me it didn't work as well. And I feel like I miss George a little bit, you know?" "Well I think [George Lucas] is a visionary. You realize it wasn't just TIE fighters and AT-ATs and seeing things like that again do not a Star Wars film make. It's kind of...there's a spirit there and I hope the guys that are now in charge - I know J. J. obviously does - keeps that alive." "I don't know if I care enough [to write or direct a Star Wars movie] anymore. And that's down to The Force Awakens - the coming together of my childhood dreams - I felt like it was like sort of like post-orgasmic malaise. <laughs> Now I'm just like, 'Hey, there's a Han Solo movie,' I'm kind of...I don't feel like it's for me anymore. And I'm not saying I'm beyond it in some way, I just mean that it's for other people now and God bless them! May the Force be with them. <laughs>" (April 14, 2018)

 

This doesn't have anything to do with Star Wars, but I thought this new Avengers film was a mess. My biggest issue with the ST is that Lucasfilm has too many characters. This Avengers film has funny moments, but there's no real narrative that makes sense. The villain's motivations aren't really fleshed out. It works better as a serial TV series episode than a film. I enjoyed it, but I'll never watch it again. For the most part that's what Marvel does best. They make enjoyable films to watch that have no term lasting power.

 

Haven't seen it yet but I imagine it is little more than a teenage boys wet dream. I have mildly enjoyed a few of the Capt America spin offs but the rest are vacuous. The main films are, as you say, rammed with characters I do not care about or understand. Curious to see Black Panther and see what the fuss is about and I will likely catch this new one at the cinema. But in my view, these films are prime examples why we shouldn't put so much stock in how much money films make.

 

Just outta curiosity... I don't wanna delve to deep into this, but did you see the rest of the MCU movies? This film is the culmination of ten years leading us to this point. So in a way, it is playing out like a tv series. The film makes no apologies for it and I applaud it for it. I have to disagree Civil War happened as a result of Avengers 1 and 2. Tony had PDSTD in Iron Man 3 as a result of the Battle of New York. So these films do have consequences from the previous ones.

 

Yes, that's what I said. It's a TV series. I've watched all the Marvel films and that's the only real reason this works. For those that haven't watched those films, by itself, Avengers is a mess. Marvel has done a fantastic job building characters in other films so when they show up for a couple of lines and a shallow arc people accept it. Like I said, I enjoy these Marvel episodes, but they're disposable.

 

For me the difference is that there is continuity, a "wholeness" to SW that Marvel lacks, 18 episode serial or not. I simply can't reconcile that Guardians are part of the same story as the rest of it. I enjoy Marvel but it isn't a saga.

 

Thanos is more compelling than kylo ren that is for sure...and seeing star wars get its ass kicked by infinity wars is satisfying

 

Yes and no. At the cost of being a bit of a gatekeeper, why would anyone start with Infinity War? It's the third movie of its type and the 19th MCU movie. Marvel has spent the entire promotional campaign talking about how this was the build-up of ten years. There are dozens of good recap videos online for those who don't want to watch the previous movies or don't have the time. I'm sorry, I don't mean to take this out on you but...it can really grind my gears sometimes...

I had a friend who before getting the invitation to see the movie (for her it was a date with a guy she likes) had never seen an MCU film besides Black Panther. Before the movie she ended up watching Cap 1, Cap 3, and half of GotG. And she still understood and enjoyed Infinity War.

So I disagree with you on it being a mess. The plot is supremely simple: Thanos wants the Infinity Stones, three (later becoming two) separate groups are actively trying to stop him.

Is it bloated? You could make that case (although I'll fight you on that too!). Is it long? (Blessedly) Yes. But there was also never a moment where the audience had no idea what was going on.

That's the joy of it! You said it here. They've done the character development already. Now we get to enjoy the character interaction. That's why crossover stuff is always so fun! "How will characters A and B act since they've last seen each other? Have characters C and D ever met before? Will they get along?" If anything, you could say this is an area where Star Wars is severely lacking.

I think yes and no here too. Yes, a lot of these can be seen as "one and done" movies, but to call them disposable ignores the massive impact they've had on pop culture not only in America, but around the world. Maybe not as much as Star Wars admittedly, but enough that in a reasonably short amount of time, they've become the highest grossing movie franchise of ALL TIME. The movies themselves might not be individually remembered much 20-30 years down the road, but you can bet your butt that the role they've played will be admired if not studied.

You're right, the MCU isn't a saga. And honestly, I wouldn't want it to be. I ADORE Star Wars and love the fact it's a saga. There's so much potential in that! But in some ways, the MCU has more. Comic books and their respective movies fall somewhere between soap operas and modern day myths for our culture. We don't tell any new stories of Achilles or Odysseus or Hercules anymore.* Instead we have tales of Superman, Iron Man, and Wonder Woman. We are't going to the amphitheater to see Oedipus Rex or Prometheus Bound.* We're watching the Dark Knight trilogy and Avengers movies. Superheroes and the stories they're in are our Epics.*

But at the same time, Star Wars is trying to not be a saga. It's trying to become an epic, and the growing pains seem pretty immense right now.

As for reconciling Guardians, to each his or her own! Personally it takes more brain power for me to sometimes rationalize that Rebels can exist in the same world as Rogue One, but then I think of how one event can inspire multitudes of stories and genres, and it's all better. ...and I lost my point somewhere along the way.

And continuity! There is so much more continuity in the movies than there is at times in Star Wars! Defeat the Empire? Another one rises in 30 years. Technology is the same; the characters are the same as when we last saw them; the world feels the same. This is great for a saga (and even better for a fairy tale, which Star Wars also is to me), but bad for Star Wars if it wants to branch out, and even worse for continuity. On the other hand, the MCU thrives off of continuity. Alien invasion? Not only is the tech used to create black market weapons, but the heroes become celebrities. Drop a city on the world? Massive talks about authority, oversight, and potentially war crimes. Go rogue? Even if your promotional videos are used, even if it's the end of the world, you may not be forgiven.

*I mean, Rick Riordan is still coming out with books and exploring stories, but the original stories are intricately linked to both the culture the stories were told in, and how said culture viewed the world the stories took place in. Riordan's stuff is very much that ancient culture interacting with our modern one. Whereas the comics today are rooted in the culture/time they were written in.

*We're reading them in our classrooms! ...or was that just me...?

*In this definition I mean to describe "Saga" as a story based around one family for generations while "Epic" is a story about multiple people (be it sets or individuals) over an extended conflict/time. Case in point, the story of the Volsungs (aptly called the Volsung Saga) and the Trojan War. But most of the time this definition doesn't matter, and "Saga" and "Epic" are interchangeable.