QUOTE (Syxx @ Oct 30 2012, 06:37 PM)

I don't think this is bad news. It may mean the Star Wars franchise will be given a bit of a break if Lucas isn't directing new entries. It also probably means Mark Hamil will reprise his role as Luke Skywalker as well as the return of the other cast members, something I think most people expected to never happen.
Please, Disney, if there are other Star Wars, make sure Lucas isn't directing and gives the director the appropriate creative freedom to make the movies interesting.
Episodes I to III of the SW saga were downright boring IMHO. Only the third was okay, thanks to its more gripping drama, while the first lacked rythm but was saved by its renewal aura (at least for some time). I remember wanting Jar Jar to end up being cut in half by the bad guys... And the actors, all looking bored out of their mind.
Episode II felt like watching someone else play Mario Bros. Ugh. The worse of the entire series.
Lucas was probably too obsessed by the technical qualities of his movies (blue screen, yay!) that he completely focused on his digital cameras and his blue & green screen techniques, enough to forget about directing his actors a bit more. The older series didn't have as much budget, so he had to focus on the essentials, and his team had to develop many techniques to make his films become a reality (which is why Star Wars was such a technical revolution). They were tinkering with bits and pieces, like inventors do in their labs, which resulted in such a inventive movie.
The release of the "upgraded" episodes IV through VI is an example of how Lucas lost its grip with the reality of his own films. Adding Jabba in episode IV, in the form of some CGI that looked odd, was just a stupid idea. But those were "his" films, so he felt like he could make them "better". LoL.
From that moment on, he became obsessed with filling his worlds with an overabundance of details, creatures and the rest. As a result, episodes I through III were shot in front of blue or green screens 98% of the time. Instead of being inventors, the art creators became CGI technicians instead.
In fact, Lucas decided to dump living actors (as in screen actors, I mean — voice actors are still essential for this) altogether when he created the "Clone Wars" animated series. A good move IMHO. At least now, the characters look like they belong in that fantasy world, and the CGI artists can make them look like their enjoying themselves. I watched a few episodes of that series, and I can say there were much more exciting than episodes I-III!
Rant over. BTW, episode V is still the best, IMHO, followed by episode IV.
Now about the newest release, I couldn't care less. I used to be a fan of the SW series, but episodes I, II and III were so full of often meaningless CGI, I lost interest. If the reviews are very, very good, I might go see it.
I'll be honest, I think too many directors now use CGI to fill out the lack of substance found in their movies, especially the lack of substance in the storyline. Thankfully, there are still some creators who know how to use CGI as the tools they are. Tools that can be useful to support a story rather than to replace it.
"Inception" is a good example of a movie in which CGI is used in a creative way (only when necessary and never at the expense of the story, but instead to support storytelling).
Second rant over, LoL.
Back to the next Star Wars. Most likely the new episode will be #7, with Luke, Han and Leia taking on that Admiral Paellon (is that the correct name? can't remember) while struggling to keep the new republic from collapsing.
I don't think Hamil will be back, though. He made it pretty clear he wasn't interested in starring in a SW sequel last time he was interviewed about this. But then, it's been quite a time since then, so I could've changed his mind. But since episode VII is happening right after The Return of the Jedi, that would probably end up looking very odd. Most likely, they'll cast new faces, which will be popular and young enough to attract a new generation of kids into the world of SW.
But if new directors can put back the freshness and creativity in Star Wars, while giving it back the light-hearted and genuine epic spirit of episodes IV and V, than its good news indeed. Not having Lucas behind the cameras will sure help, I'm certain of that.
Not to say that Lucas never was a decent director. American Graffiti is an excellent, well directed movie, and episode IV of SW was very good as well. If he had focused either directing or producing rather than both, the most recent episodes might have been much better.
If I had to predict something about SW, is that in the hands of Disney, we'll see more products like the "Clone Wars" animated series. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see a whole new set of franchises appear over the next years, with new series aimed at different audiences, from the kid to the grown adult. Disney's strengths might serve the Star Wars franchise well, as long as they don't overwhelm the audiences with countless spinoffs. From "Princess Leia goes shopping on Corusant" to "Sing with the Ewoks", there are so many ways this could go wrong LoL.
Good news, I believe.