When Disney bought Lucasfilm and the rights to “Star Wars” for $4 billion and change, it sent fans into a frenzy – most of them screaming “yes,” but others “oh dear God, no.” The anticipation of “Star Wars: Episode VII” is some of the best movie news of 2013, especially with JJ Abrams signed on as director. Some fans, though, are worried Disney will make a mess of the new “Star Wars” film.
‘Staring Zac Efron…’
The original cast from episodes IV-VI are rumored to reappear in VII, but we’ll likely see new faces as well. While Disney has done well casting choices like Robert Downey Jr. for “Iron Man” and Chris Hemsworth for “Thor” brilliantly, some of the rumored choices for “Star Wars” don’t bode so well.
We reported that Zac Efron, Ryan Gosling and Leonardo DiCaprio were rumored choices for roles in the the new film. An Oscar nominee is one thing, a teen sensation is another. Fans jokingly fear Justin Bieber and Selina Gomez characters in “Star Wars,” but rumors like these aren’t far off.
How to fix it: If Efron does appear, his character can’t mess around.
Don’t Meet Your Heroes
Mark Hammill, Carrie Fischer and Harrison Ford are iconic for their roles as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo. Their characters can’t be topped, not even by them. At least that’s what the fans fear. Watching Ford wield the whip in “Indiana Jones and the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was just awkward. It didn’t feel like the old days. That’s a risk Disney takes lifting these three from a 30-year retirement.
How to fix it: Hammill, Ford and Fischer should play advisor characters like Alec Guinness did for Obi Wan. Luke and Leia can throw around a saber but the action of the movie shouldn’t depend on their fights.
An Identity Crisis
Both the original and new trilogies play endlessly on a number of TV networks through directstartv.com, and it’s easy to recognize their completely opposite identities. The consensus is that the originals are for the adults and the newest trilogy is for kids. Disney could explore either route with success, but if it tries to tow the line, the new movie could have some very inconsistent tones.
How to fix it: Abrams handled “Star Trek” perfectly in this way. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Fan Fair Overload
If you watch the “Star Wars” saga for the first time and start with “Episode I,” you’re doing it wrong, but there shouldn’t be anything wrong about it. The first three episodes are filled with those little moments only fans of the original trilogy will recognize. They’re fun for some, but they don’t do the movie credit as a standalone film and can even get annoying when overdone.
How to fix it: The beginning of the movie should connect with “Return of the Jedi,” but once that’s accomplished the rest of the film should be its own story.
Resurrecting Vader
Just don’t, please. He’s dead.