Tag Archives: Lawrence Kasdan

Abrams and Kasdan assuming Episode VII screenwriting role. Arndt out?

Posted on by

Well this is certainly something. Maybe this is cause for alarm, maybe it isn’t. We don’t know much more beyond this little bit of information:

This was confirmed a few minutes later on the official site.

As Episode VII continues pre-production, Lawrence Kasdan and director J.J. Abrams have assumed screenwriting duties for the film. Kasdan, who has been serving as a consultant on the film, is a veteran of several classic Lucasfilm productions, writing the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark and serving as co-screenwriter for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Acclaimed director and screenwriter Abrams’ credits include Super 8, Mission: Impossible III, Fringe, and Lost.

“I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script,” states Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a Star Wars story works like Larry, and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen. J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right. Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production.”

What exactly this means is a mystery right now. Does this mean that Abrams and Kasdan have Michael Arndt’s screenplay in hand and are in the polishing stage, or does it mean that Arndt is out?

So we know a little more than we did before about Episode VII, but as often happens with these things we’ve now got even more questions and concerns.

Lucas and Kasdan discuss the Prequels. In 1981.

Posted on by

As many are aware, Return of the Jedi turns 30 on May 25th. To celebrate, the Huffington Post has posted a transcript of a story conference for the then-titled Revenge of the Jedi in which Lucas goes off-topic with Lawrence Kasdan to discuss a macro take on some Prequel Trilogy plot elements.

The Skywalker line is very strong with the Force, so Ben says, “I think we should protect the kids, because they may be able to help us right the wrong that your husband has created in the universe.” And so Ben takes one and gives him to a couple out there on Tatooine and he gets his little hideout in the hills and he watches him grow. Ben can’t raise Luke himself, because he’s a wanted man. Leia and Luke’s mother go to Alderaan and are taken in by the king there, who is a friend of Ben’s. She dies shortly thereafter and Leia is brought up by her foster parents. She knows that her real mother died.

A remarkably different fate for Padme. Perhaps a preferable one to dying of a broken heart? There’s a lot more interesting details on Lucas’ early thoughts for these stories, so head to the above link to read the rest of the transcript.

Kinberg and Kasdan Talk Episode VII, Standalone Films with IGN

Posted on by

Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi writer Lawrence Kasdan as well as Simon Kinberg sat down with IGN over the weekend to discuss Episode VII and the subject of standalone spinoff films. The first question, of course, was how did Kasdan feel being asked to come back and do more Star Wars:

Kasdan: I was pleased that there would be new ones, that there was a chance to capture some of the spirit of the original trilogy that I’d worked on. I thought there’s an audience out there — my grandchildren, lots of original Star Wars people — and there always will be. It’s only good that we try to do some more great ones.

On what the new trilogy will be like:

GN: What can you tell fans about this new version that you’re working on? There are so many rumors going around.

Kasdan: They’re going to be fun. J.J. (Abrams)’s a great director for the first sequel. Perfect. We’re very happy to have him. The writers I’ve been working with — Michael Arndt, who’s going to write the sequel, and Simon Kinberg, who has, like me, been sort of consulting — they’re great. I’ve never really collaborated a lot, and I’ve never been a room with a bunch of writers thinking, “Well, what should this thing be?” It’s fun. It’s really fun. And J.J.’s a writer. Yeah, lovely guy. I’d met him but didn’t know him. But now I’m totally enamored by him. He’s really funny and so enthusiastic.

Simon Kinberg was also asked about whether the standalone movies would work with established characters or try something different:

IGN: Is there anything you can say in terms of working with established Star Wars characters, or are you coming from a whole new plot and characters for your standalone movie?

Kinberg: This is what I would say: as a fan, I wouldn’t want to know too much. I know that’s impossible because it’s not the ’70s or ’80s anymore, but part of what was so exciting about A New Hope for me was I was entering into a universe I didn’t know. Even in Empire, I was surprised by a twist I never would have seen coming. But it’s different nowadays. I understand the excitement, and I’m happy that people are interested, obviously. But I’d rather people have something left to discover when they go in.

For more, head to IGN to read the full interview.

Tosche Station Radio #37: Giving Thanks

Posted on by

Logo

Play in new window | Download
It’s a special Thanksgiving-themed edition of Tosche Station Radio!

Kicking off the show, Nanci highlights what’s new on the blog. Bria has started her EU retrospective with The Really Old Republic. Meanwhile, Nanci guested on our sister podcast, We Talk Clones, to discuss the episode Bound for Rescue. Finally, our regular weekly features included Cosplay Monday featuring Marty McFly, Fanwork Friday featuring a Lois and Clark fanvid, and Trope Tuesday featuring Grudging Thank You.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s been busy with NaNoWriMo, finishing off the first part of her second book. She’s also been reading the sixth Mageworlds novel, The Stars Asunder. Brian’s been reading The Starpilot’s Grave as well as some new Marvel releases, Captain Marvel #6 and Avengers Assemble #9 by Kelly Sue DeConnick.

Deak’s Dirt starts with news that Brad Bird and Colin Trevorrow are out of the running for Episode VII director duties. Howard Roffman, one of the individuals responsible for kick-starting the Expanded Universe, is returning to Lucasfilm. Reports are circulating that Simon Kinberg and Empire Strikes Back script writer Lawrence Kasdan are in talks to produce and/or write parts of the sequel trilogy. Finally, Her Universe has announced new product releasesin time for Cyber Monday.

This week’s Camie’s Concerns has the hosts reflecting on the geeky things they’re thankful for this year. From conventions to theme parks, there are a lot of nerdy pursuits that we should be thankful for. The hosts wrap up the show with their Ask Us Anything segment.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of the Solo Sound network. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store or the Xbox Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.