Edgar Wright
It’s no secret that Edgar Wright is a massive Star Wars fanboy. Despite last year claiming that the chance of him directing a future Star Wars movie was practically non-existent due to his blatant hatred for the prequels – shown in his Channel 4 sitcom Spaced – his close friendship with Simon Pegg – who in turn has an extremely good working relationship with J.J. Abrams – might end up throwing him a lifeline. I think that if he was given the opportunity he would snap Kathleen Kennedy’s hand off without question. He certainly would be a fan favourites choice, as confirmed by the support he received during the recent Ant-Man fiasco. Unfortunately I don’t think he’d be right for the job based purely on the fact that he has to take the reins from J.J. and Johnson, however there might be an outside chance he could be given the last spin-off movie. Wright is definitely an original auteur, but comedy flows in his veins and his distinct humour might not work in the Star Wars universe unless it was a stand alone.
James Gunn
Okay so this is highly unlikely but bear with me. Gunn has recently confirmed that he will be heading up a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel due to drop July 2017 and presumably he’ll be working on nothing else until then. Guardians of the Galaxy has been an instant success with fans and critics alike, with the movie being hailed as a “Star Wars for a new generation”. While I’m already getting tired of the overused comparison, it is kinda true. GOTG definitely had a Star Wars vibe going on and Gunn has shown that he possesses the acquired vision – similar to the original trilogy – that Kennedy and company seem to want to take the franchise. Like Edwards, Trank and Johnson, James Gunn has spawned from the same generation of indie filmmakers who share the passion and work ethic for the project they are working on. It’s bittersweet. He may be on the radar, but for the same reasons it probably will never happen.
Andy Serkis
You can safely store this in the “out there” pile. While Serkis undoubtedly lacks the experience of the other directors on the list and the directors that have already signed on, he did work under the tutelage of Peter Jackson as second-unit director on The Hobbit. He’s currently in pre-production of Jungle Book: Origins for Warner Bros. and has some experience directing stage plays. It would be a massive risk but considering a third stand-alone movie or the third instalment in the trilogy wouldn’t start pre-production for at least another two and a half years, he might be given the chance depending on the success of his Jungle Book adaptation. Serkis isn’t like any other actor. Because of the nature of his previous roles in mo-cap, his relationship with his directors has probably surpassed normal levels and so it has given him a unique “behind the scenes” learning curve that other actors wouldn’t have experienced. Jackson has stated that it was his professionalism and ambition that warranted the second-unit job. A long shot but who knows?
Ridley Scott
So this may be another unforeseeable appointment but for very different reasons. As previously mentioned George Lucas specifically made a point of saying that he wanted to hand his baby over to a generation of new filmmakers. Considering there is an argument that Ridley Scott is right up there with one of the top directors around – and even of all time – it’s unlikely that he would be approached or that he would even be interested in the job. It’s a shame though because when Scott is given the opportunity to visit the world of science fiction something magical happens.
So who would you like to see direct a future Star Wars movie and why?
Gavin Logan – Follow me on Twitter
Originally published August 12, 2014. Updated April 15, 2018.
