J.J. Abrams to Direct ‘Star Wars Episode VII’

We’ve been waiting for some time on info about who would be taking over the ‘Star Wars’ series, ever since George Lucas sold the franchise to Disney last year. Rumors ran rampant quickly, with names like Steven Spielberg, Matthew Vaughn, and one that was frequently popping up, was J.J. Abrams. Many assumed that with his hand so firmly in the ‘Star Trek’ universe right now, after rebooting the ever popular franchise. But apparently Abrams was the man for the job, at least according to Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy. According to the Wrap, sources close to the deal, Kennedy had been courting Abrams early on when the project came to light, thanks to Steven Spielberg, who was pushing her to hire him for the job. Understandably, Abrams was very hesitant to take the reins of the franchise, but Spielberg convinced him into saying yes. This is huge news, and we’re just waiting for an official confirmation at this time. Hit the jump for more.

Abrams, at one point, talked about the potential of directing the film, but was very hesitant about it:

“Look, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies of all time,” J.J. gushed. He added, “I frankly feel that – I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big Star Trek fan growing up, so for me, working on Star Trek didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege, and so, I am looking forward more then anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars, but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer!”

I can’t really blame him for his reluctance to take on such a huge undertaking like this, but it looks like whatever fears he may have had, Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy were able to put to rest. This is an absolutely solid choice for the franchise, and J.J. Abrams is a great director. I never thought I’d see him direct a ‘Star Wars’ film, because I assumed he’d stick with the ‘Star Trek’ series. But this is excellent, as Abrams is one of my favorite directors working in Hollywood right now, and I think he’s absolutely a perfect fit to bring this franchise back to the big screen. He did an excellent job with ‘Star Trek’ back in 2009, and I absolutely adored ‘Super 8’, and both ‘Mission: Impossible 3’, which he directed, and ‘Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol’, which he produced. He also has a strong television record, and with talk of ‘Star Wars’ coming to television as well, it begs the question if he would be involved with that as well, much like Joss Whedon is overseeing Marvel’s ‘S.H.I.E.L.D’ TV series before moving on to ‘The Avengers 2’.

While nothing is known about the story at this time, we do know that the film will be written by Michael Arndt, who wrote ‘Toy Story 3’, and that it will take place after the end of ‘Return of the Jedi’. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher have all been rumored to be returning in a supporting capacity, but that could all just be fan speculation, but having them come would be an excellent lead into this new trilogy. I’m absolutely over the moon about the names attached to bring ‘Star Wars’ back to life, and I really can’t wait to see how this turns out. This is just absolutely incredible news, and ‘Star Wars Episode VII’ can’t be here soon enough!

Are you excited about J.J. Abrams directing ‘Star Wars’? Let me know in the comments below, only here at Chip and Company, and watch this page where we’ll post more when we learn it!

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