Star Wars VII: A New Hope?

You'd have to be living under a rock not to have heard the recent announcement that Disney has acquired the rights to Lucasfilm and intends to release a sequel trilogy beginning in 2015 with Star Wars VII. The news has sparked an expected backlash from fans of the sci-fi series who are still plauged by nightmares of Jar Jar Binks and the prequel trilogy as a whole, but here at Heavy Metal Mouth, I'm cautiously optimistic and I'll tell you why.

First of all, Disney's proven track record of producing quality films on a consistent basis is a reason to be hopeful. In the past, takeovers of Pixar and Marvel have proven extremely successful, resulting in the release of ''Toy Story 3'' and ''The Avengers'' in 2010 and 2012 respectivley. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Disney can't do the same again and produce a film perhaps not as brilliant as the original trilogy, but certainly an improvement among the latest releases.

Another reason to be positive is the fact that I-III were so bad means that VII-IX has to improve. Disney aren't stupid; they will know very well that the prequels were a huge disappointment and they'll be doing everything they can to set that straight. In fact, I believe that the trainwreck that was the prequel trilogy will actually serve as a catalyst to jumpstart the series again in 2015 with a higher quality product. Disney will examine in depth the reasons for I-III's failure among fans and address specific issues in order to fix them and gain a new following while also retaining the dedicated die-hard fan base of the originals.

Lastly, the fact that George Lucas is no longer at the helm of the project means there is an oppurtunity for Star Wars to be envisioned through the eyes of another director with a fresh approach. Lucas has single-handedly destroyed the reputation of the series since Return Of The Jedi and most likely this is because of his complete creative control; there was no one to tell him otherwise. Under the direction of a new mind with new ideas, Star Wars could be reinvented and reimagined in ways we didn't think possible.

Which brings me to the main point of this article. Who should direct Star Wars in 2015? I've got some ideas about who would work and why, so here are my top 3 choices for the new man behind the legendary sci-fi classic.

1. Christoper Nolan
Who: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Memento.
Why: Nolan is the hottest director in the world at the moment following his completion of The Dark Knight trilogy, and it's not hard to see why. His complete reinvention of the Batman franchise was an unexpected masterpiece that received unanimous acclaim from critics and long time fans for it's gritty realism and intense atomsphere. The possibilities would be endless for a Star Wars trilogy with Nolan at the helm.

2. Joss Whedon
Who: The Avengers, Serenity, X-Men (Screenwriter), Toy Story (Screenwriter), The Cabin In The Woods (Screenwriter)
Why: Whedon has proven himself a sci-fi visionary from early roles producing classic shows such as ''Buffy The Vampire Slayer'' and ''Firefly'' before moving on to larger projects, most notably ''The Avengers'' last year which was a huge box office success that proved popular with fans and critics alike. Whedon would provide a much needed insight as a fan of the series himself while growing up, even if only in a screenwriter role.

3. Guillermo Del Toro
Who: Hellboy, Hellboy 2, Pan's Labyrinth, The Hobbit Trilogy (Writer)
Why: Del Toro is another director with a particular love of the fantasy genre and as such, he could bring an element of magic to the new trilogy with his skilled scriptwriting and stylish direction. A rich backstory and major character developement would be a newfound focus of Star Wars as seen through Del Toro's eyes.


So have some faith; in 2015, Disney could yet provide us with a new hope for Star Wars.