JJ Abrams Talks Subduing His Inner Fanboy with ABCNews
ABC News has a feature up discussing the process of making Star Wars: The Force Awakens with JJ Abrams.
There isn’t a ton of revelatory material in the piece, but it does provide a fascinating glimpse into the mindset required for a professional filmmaker going into a property such as Star Wars but coming with the background of a fan. Abrams also provides more comments on what made him accept the job, his approach to the film, and working with the original cast.
Abrams on resisting his inner fan:
“That was a constant in the production of the movie: moments where we would all look around and realize what we were doing and gasp a little bit and then dive back in,” Abrams said in a recent interview before ducking back into editing. “When you’re on the set of the Millennium Falcon or staring into the eyes of C3PO giving direction, it’s pretty easy to have that fanatic part of you bubble up. But our job was to be there to tell this story, not to be a fanboy.”
Abrams elaborates on previous comments about what drew him to the film:
“She and I were talking about what this world would be, this universe, nearly 40 years after Episode Six and the idea that these characters would have lived on. And yet there would have been this new generation that may not know at all who these characters were, or had heard of them but not necessarily believed that they were real,” says Abrams. “It felt like such fertile ground.”
Abrams discusses working with the original cast:
“What was incredible from my point of view was how apparently easily they flipped back into these roles,” says Abrams. “I knew for a fact, for example, that Harrison Ford was going to be in this movie, but I couldn’t be certain that Han Solo would be. Meaning, I hadn’t seen Han Solo return after nearly 40 years, either. And it wasn’t until we got on set that I got my answer. It was a remarkable thing to see how effortlessly Harrison Ford became Han Solo again.”
Find the entire article at ABCNews
Link not working?
Thanks. Now it’s OK.
The top photo is excellent. It looks like he`s set up in the master mind chair waiting. “And what is your specialist subject Mr Abrams ?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZOIXnSovrA
That picture and logo is awesome. The way his arms line up with the “t” and the “r”. The transarency and that gold outline for the letters and then the red line cutting through it like a lightsaber is great.
Your link to the story is broken. The full URL is http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/fall-movie-preview-abrams-keeping-star-wars-grounded-33449668
“I knew for a fact, for example, that Harrison Ford was going to be in this movie, but I couldn’t be certain that Han Solo would be.”
That’s just what I thought at the first cast announcement. I worried that old-man-Han might not have the fun and charm that he once did, but I’ve gained more faith since then. Based on the stories of Harrison on set and his own words on returning, I think we’re in for a treat.
Yep, of all the worries about this film, “Harrisons do not concern me, admiral”. Regardless of the quality of the film around him, Harrison always does solid work – I’ve never seen HIM turn in bad work, even when the film is maybe not terrific.
Except a few bad line readings, like “This ship is still full of surprises sweetheart” or “Part time” Harrison is THE AWSUM
what’s wrong with the ‘sweetheart’ line?
“Still got a few surprises left in her, sweetheart” is awesome, and the ‘Part time’ thing is a really bitter pill to swallow. The take of that line used in the trailer is PERFECT, capped off with a lop-sided smirk. The one the ‘Berg went with in the film was so much flatter, straight forward, and lifeless. Much like “Not as easy as it used to be” – world-weary Indy used in the trailer, a much for straight-forward read used in the film. Bad choices which should be laid on Speilberg.
Oh Yeah!
Harrison is always pro,so is Mark.
How about Carrie?
Dont worry about her, shes a smart lady, bringing a character to life is well within her.
What about that final trailer though, JJ?
Friday my friend… Friday
Is that official? JJ did say the fall but technically we are still in summer until the September 23rd
Silly Murrikans. The rest of the world swapped season yesterday!
I’m getting a little nervous because I actually really like JJ over these past months, before I kind of dismissed him as some hollywood poster-boy, but hearing his work-ethic and his grounded thought-process I’ve really come to like him.
Which means I’m gonna feel pretty gutted if this movie turns out to suck after all :/ worried…
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering…..
I swear Star Wars fans really should remember that. Instead we set ourselves up for figurative dismemberment and lava injuries.
I think they will have chosen shot angles and edits carefully for all the ot cast – Han because of Harrison’s leg – the team will show them in their best light from the best angle.
I was concerned that Harrison Ford wouldn’t be able to do “Han” anymore. But hearing that he immediately nailed it makes me less so.
Why should we trust anyone involved with the production who comments on the quality of any aspect of the production? Remember the praise from certain cast members in the months leading up to the release of each disappointing prequel film? These interviews, expos, etc. are all marketing. What is JJ going to say: “Y’know, I just wasn’t that impressed with Harrison’s performance.” Let’s wait and see what the final product is.
Well, on this point anyways, even though I’m very aprehensive about the final film, I’ve got no worries. Ford’s CV demonstrates that he always shows up to work, and always brings his A game. Even stuff that fans like to rip into, like KotCS, Harrison brought the Indy – it was the script, directions, and photography that sank that film.
Firewall, Indy 4, Cowboys and Aliens, Ender’s Game, Paranoia, Extraordinary Measures. Ford isn’t always great…especially not in the last 15 yrs or so.
Of those the only one I didn’t see was Extraordinary Measures because I wasn’t going to pay good money to see Fraser. Ford was good in Enders Game, was as Indy as the script let him be in KotCS, despite a shit-tastic script, did his usual, solid everyman thing in Firewall, was great in 42 (man shoud have earned an Oscar nod for that), and was very good in Adeline (where he played almost his age for once). Still maintain it’s been weak scripts and lack-luster direction that’s let down his weak films, not him.
I’m pretty sure we are going to get a great movie…. all the work and time they put into it, it will make everyone forget the Dinosaurs in a park called Jurassic…
Does anyone care about Jurassic? I’ve barely registered it exists
He says all the right things! Thank you JJ!
Your name! 😀
Yep, he’s a very slick, well-groomed, Hollywood insider who has mostly produced films, rather than directed them. He understands marketing very well.
LOVE his comment about Harrison Ford 🙂
“And yet there would have been this new generation that may not know at all who these characters were…”
What if NONE of the new characters are related to anyone from the OT? Interesting.
So…..cameo Luke and no original cast interaction conformed then? F***cckk.
TFjvdk0.jpg
So cameo Luke and no original cast interaction confirmed then? Great.
http://i.imgur.com/TFjvdk0.jpg
That is a truly idiotic statement in that picture. You haven’t seen the movie. Even if it is underwhelming, I’m sure JJ tried his best. “Most hated man in movie history” is an ignorant and absurd statement.
Shame on you, dude.
Criticism for something unseen is just as valid as praise for it, and the filmmaker who would ruin Luke, Han, and Leia, would be the most hated person in movies — even more so than the person who ruined the prequels.
Thanks, JJ.
“Criticism for something unseen is just as valid as praise for it”
So… not valid at all?
Or very valid.
So it’s valid to judge something that you haven’t seen yet? I assume that’s what you mean by “something unseen”.
The point is saying “THIS MOVIE WILL BE AWESOME!” based off of a trailer is just as valid as saying “THIS MOVIE WILL SUCK!” based off of a trailer.
Either one may turn out to be true.
And like it or not, you are making little judgments all of the time about films — about everything. When you decide to go see a movie, you’ve decided you like it enough to check it out, even though it may completely bomb. Always a judgment call. So let’s not denigrate everyone who doesn’t jump on the “BEST MOVIE EVER!!11!1” bandwagon and doesn’t hold the same opinion as you.
“The point is saying “THIS MOVIE WILL BE AWESOME!” based off of a trailer is just as valid as saying “THIS MOVIE WILL SUCK!” based off of a trailer.”
My point is that both attitudes are jumping the gun. The guy who made the “You haven’t seen the movie yet” comment wasn’t “praising” the movie prematurely, and neither am I. I’m just saying that either trashing or glorifying the movie based on rumors and speculation before a synopsis is even out is a bit silly. And let’s be honest, I think the majority of people on this site are going to see the movie when it comes out one way or another.
That’s sorta true (though saying it’ll suck based on just that trailers is terribly pessimistic and inappropriate on a site like this) but the point is that even if the movie sucks, that statement is still inexcusably and unnecessarily vile.
Did I miss something, or is the “Star Wars” font changing slightly? The R’s are looking different in that picture with JJ. I like it though.
JJ sounds like the robot XR from the Disney Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command cartoon series whenever he talks.
Yeah… And what’s with Episode 7 supposedly being a rip off of ANH?
First act: captured on star destroyer, crash land on desert planet, escape from desert planet
Second act: infiltrate Starkiller base
Third act: jungle yavin planet
Seems a HELL of a lot like ANH to me. Anything to disprove this? Kind of killing my hype in the movie
To be fair, A New Hope was a bit of a ripoff of Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress. I’ve personally made my peace with the idea that the story won’t be entirely original. I think Star Wars is about character, and this movie seems to have character in spades.
Spades?
This is exactly what worries me about THE FORCE THAT APPARENTLY WAS SLEEPING
Leitmotif is heavy in space opera, HEAVY.
Characters in space opera are always being captured. Even Palpatine is captured! Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, John Carter, are always having to escape from the evil clutches of ‘Evil’. Leia is captured in two movies and almost captured in the third, twice by the Empire and once by Ewoks (!).
Characters are captured by a Fett and Sith Lord in AOTC and ESB. Another non-captured character fails confrontation with the dark side (Luke’s vision and Anakin’s tribal genocide) and basically fails to rescue the captured characters – both lose their hand and have to be rescued by new characters (Lando and the Clones).
So yes, its supposed to be repetitive and “rhyme, like a poem, hopefully it’ll work”. So the re-use of motifs is VERY MUCH as ‘STAR WARS’ as STAR WARS gets.
Anyone else thinking about how in the trailer Luke says “my father HAS it” and not, “my father HAD it” ??? Force ghost Anakin in the movie?
NO!
That comment is very odd! Which may suggest that there is something going on concerning the plot we’re in the dark about.
The sample is old audio from RotJ, when Luke told Leia that they’re twins. Vader was alive at that point, hence “my father HAS it.”
I didn’t notice that the photo of this article has rey on the leg of an AT AT 🙂
Why does he keep saying 40 years? ROTJ was released in 1983. 2013 was two years ago…
Because the story takes place 40 years later?
The story takes place 30 years later
How long is a Galactic Standard Year in earth-speak??????
WE NEED TO KNOW!!!
OK, so it’s a typo? Or Abrams made a mistake? Or he is wrong about his own story?
Star Wars wouldn’t even be made today. Han Solo would be labeled sexist because he wants to avoid “anymore female advice”. Hollyweird makes me sick.
Hollyweird lol
In the case of Han Solo, he was put in his place by Leia who was a strong female character so just fuck off.
She didn’t put him in his place any more then I put you in your place the last time you brought that nonsense up.
I like JJs thoughts on this. If the new generation think of the original characters as near mythic, it opens up many fun possible scenes. Like, say, Rey meets THE Han Solo but doesn’t believe it’s him, then he shows some mad skills to prove himself (getting his leg broken in the Falcon’s door)
I just want to see Luke make out with his sister (again).
Here’s looking @ you, G.Walton Lucas.
Hey, if TFA is anything like the latest F4, then Finn and Rey could be siblings!?!
2 billion SW Fans will cry out in terror!!
John Jeffrey Baratheon, please make it soo!!!
Dec 18th is my birthday, do ya think Disney would rustle up a couple of tickets?