When it was first announced that Disney had bought Lucasarts for a staggering $4.05 billion, and that a new Star Wars trilogy was coming, rumours started circling as to which director would take the job. After all, this is arguably the most famous franchise in film history, so whoever is selected will have a lot on their plate. Acclaimed filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg and Zack Snyder have already ruled their names out and there will obviously be a lot of interviews and meetings before a victor is announced.
Matthew Vaughn is the current frontrunner, and his franchise experience with last year’s X-Men First Class may help his case. However, two new names have come into the running, with /Film reporting that David Fincher and Jon Favreau are being sought out. Two very different names there, and each would take the franchise along contrasting routes.
Favreau is the more family friendly name and has franchise experience the first two Iron Man‘s, but Fincher is the more acclaimed director and also once worked as assistant cameraman on Return of the Jedi. Could he do to Star Wars what Christopher Nolan did to Batman? One doubts that he’d be given the creative freedom Warner Bros. gave Nolan, but it would be very intriguing should he be chosen.
Michael Arndt, who wrote the scripts for Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3, will pen the film and Kathleen Kennedy will produce. George Lucas is also contributing as a creative consultant. Expect a release date of late 2015 and stay tuned for more updates on the directorial situation.