5 Filmmakers Who Could Direct the HELL out of Star Wars Episode VII

So, will there be a Mickey Mouse-Star Wars-Avengers crossover or what?

So, as many of you must have heard by now, Disney has purchased Lucasfilm, George Lucas' longstanding production company, and in a shocking but wholly welcome move, have announced a new Star Wars trilogy, beginning with Episode VII in 2015, and two or more movies following after that. Mere months after Lucas announced that he would never return to the space opera franchise that made him famous, it became clear that that did not mean we would never see new Star Wars movies. Rather, we'll just be seeing them from someone else, with Lucas merely taking the position of original storywriter and creative consultant. As a man who considers The Empire Strikes Back to be his all-time favorite film, this is indeed some good news. After the (mostly) disappointment of the prequel trilogy, attributed by most to Lucas' dictatorial style of creative control over the franchise, someone new will get to step up to the plate, and will have a chance to give to one of cinema's greatest franchises the resurrection it deserves. My only caveat with this announcement is the reveal that it will indeed be Star Wars Episode VII. I probably would have preferred a complete cutting of ties to the previous films; not a reboot, but maybe a revamping in the spirit of J. J. Abrams' Star Trek, where they do fashion a new mythology, while still acknowledging the past and bridging the two timelines. Nevertheless, the idea of a new director overseeing Star Wars certainly excites me, and I've decided to compile a list of the top 5 directors in showbiz who could successfully bring back Jedis on the big screen. However, it will ignore directors who I don't think would do it, such as Abrams (he doesn't want to start a fanboy war) or Joss Whedon (too busy with Avengers 2). #5 will follow, after this unrelated gif that explains everything wrong with the prequels:

Meesa not aware of such electric bombad shocks, okey day?

5. Andrew Stanton

This looks familiar... reeks and acklays??

I'm gonna say it up front here: I was not the biggest fan of John Carter. I thought the mythology was too dense and overly complex to sustain interest, and that the overly expository nature of the tale killed its pacing and made the movie lose me. However, that was mostly from a screenwriting perspective (and boy, was this film put through the wringer there), and doesn't really have anything to do with director Andrew Stanton. From a directorial and visual standpoint, the Pixar regular fashioned a fairly impressive film, replete with memorable imagery and neat setpieces, that also clearly showcase how the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels influenced Lucas (arena scene, anyone?). Also, Stanton has shown that he can craft interesting stories and characters through his Pixar work, with Finding Nemo and WALL-E representing some of the finest work the acclaimed animation studio has ever put out. If Stanton could reign in the glossy CGI that Lucas lost himself in in the prequels, and focus on bringing out the strengths of the characters in the script, combined with having to deal with an already-established and widely beloved backstory (as opposed to the mere cult audience of John Carter, which led to it bombing), and Stanton could craft a Star Wars film that is both a box office hit and a fanboy feast. And Disney, having him right in their wheelhouse, doesn't have to look far to get him. I think he can be reserved as the fallback choice. 

4. Gore Verbinski

From pirates to cowboys to Jedis = Natural Progression

Now some will ding me for this choice, because they didn't like the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, but hear me out: Gore Verbinski has a top-notch sense of visual style, he's crafting some of the finest special effects extravaganzas in the business, his body of work is diverse, he knows his way around a blockbuster, and most importantly, he's crafted a film very tonally similar to the original Star Wars trilogy: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Orlando Bloom's Will Turner plays the classic Errol Flynn-esque hero role, AKA the Luke Skywalker, while Jack Sparrow is the maverick, the mischievous and adventerous rogue, the ship captain, the Han Solo of the piece. Elizabeth Swann is the damsel in distress, very much like Princess Leia, and Barbossa is the classic villain, the simple foe to pit good against evil, the Darth Vader. Not to mention the funny, action-packed, visually sumptuous, and swashbuckling tone that is exactly what a proper Star Wars film needs. The jury might need to be out until the release of The Lone Ranger, but for now, Verbinski is also a solid choice, who also might have a better word in with Disney at making box office gold. 

3. Brad Bird

But if they cast Tom Cruise as Han Solo... NOOOOOO!!!

It may be remembered by some that I enjoyed Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol quite a bit earlier this year, and much of that can be attributed to the splendid work of director Brad Bird. Unlike the previous bloated and often empty M:I films, Bird crafted a tight, smart, focused, and team-oriented thriller that differentiated the Tom Cruise action franchise from other similar spy fare for the very first time. Also, he's yet another director in Disney's Pixar family, having been the helmer of both The Incredibles and Ratatouille. The real reason I list Bird at #3, though, is his handling of effects in Ghost Protocol. Despite having a background in animation, Bird directed a film in this digital age that utilized CGI effects as little as possible, preferring to have Tom Cruise actually jump around on the Burj Khalifa as opposed to CGI'ing him there from a green screen. I think that Bird, by taking the same naturalistic approach that he brought to Ethan Hunt, and putting it in Star Wars, could recapture some of the gritty griminess that hallmarked the Star Wars of old, away from the overly shiny and fakey sheen of the green screen fueled prequels. If Bird could get a proper team of writers, and come up with a unified vision, it could be a real winner.

2. Matthew Vaughn

I would gladly trade Days of Future Past for Star Wars

One film I liked quite a bit last year was Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class. It's a movie that got me interested in the franchise for the first time, having never been a particular fan of Bryan Singer's dreary and somewhat anticlimactic installments, nor Brett Ratner or Gavin Hood's trainwrecks. Vaughn dropped out of the sequel, X-Men: Days of Future Past, just last week (now to be directed by Singer), leaving him very much open to direct whatever he wants, including a certain space opera. I like Vaughn for the job less because he's tonally perfect for it than because he's an exciting up-and-comer, and I enjoy his body of work as a whole more than those of Bird, Verbinski, or Stanton. I feel like Vaughn has a genuine vision when he sets out to direct a film, even turning a potentially huge loser of a proposition like Kick-Ass into an enjoyable experience. Overall, I just like the guy's movies, and I think that him directing a Star Wars flick is a winning idea.

1. Alfonso Cuarón

From ultra-dark sci-fi to lighthearted fun. Why not?

I know this guy's been suggested by virtually everyone (along with Bird and Vaughn), but dammit this guy is so versatile. He goes from directing dramatic fare like Y Tu Mamá También, to doing the best Harry Potter film, to making a dark apocalyptic tale in Children of Men, and then goes on to direct a super-ambitious sci-fi drama in the upcoming Gravity. A better question is, why SHOULDN'T this guy direct a Star Wars movie?

Really though, there are a massive cadre of filmmakers who would consider it a dream job to take a shot at Episode VII, and with two more to follow (and maybe more beyond that), we might actually see a good Star Wars movie again in our current lifetimes. And a week ago, we may never have thought that was possible.

Also, I think they should stick with John Williams for the score.