Everyone who turned down the chance to direct a Star Wars movie

As a seasoned gamer and Star Wars enthusiast with countless hours spent in the galaxy far, far away, I can only marvel at the fascinating tales of directors who turned down the opportunity to create their own Star Wars saga. It’s like being offered the keys to the Millennium Falcon and politely declining because you’re busy farming moisture vaporators on Tatooine!

Discussing the prospect of creating a Star Wars film is like entertaining a long-held dream. Many filmmakers have acknowledged that Star Wars has served as a significant source of inspiration, making it easy to envision their enthusiasm for crafting a personal Star Wars narrative. However, throughout the years, some directors have declined offers to direct a Star Wars movie. Herein lies a collection of those directors and the rationales behind their decisions.

(Note: This list does not include people who were considered for a directing job before Lucasfilm eventually decided on a different director. These are the people who were offered the job, but turned it down.)

The Prequel Trilogy

Prior to George Lucas choosing to take up directing duties for the prequel trilogy, the position (particularly for Episode I) was extended to several other directors. Lucas extended an invitation to Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and Robert Zemeckis to helm a Star Wars film, but each of them politely declined. They all shared the same rationale behind their decision.

George Lucas created Star Wars; it was his brainchild, and he initially planned to serve as a producer for the prequel films, much like he did for the second and third installments of the original series. However, he ended up returning to directing duties for the first time since 1977, taking on the task of directing the new trilogy himself. Interestingly, Ron Howard initially declined an offer to direct the prequels but later took on the job of completing the direction of Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018.

The Original Trilogy

Initially, Lucas had planned to direct the first film himself, and it appears that Kershner was the sole candidate approached regarding the direction of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. However, finding a director for ‘Return of the Jedi’ was a different narrative altogether.

Initially, Kershner declined the offer to continue working on the film following his work on ‘Empire’. He expressed his desire to depart after investing considerable time on Star Wars with the final installment. It was also reported that Spielberg might have taken over directing duties, but this possibility was hindered due to Director’s Guild regulations. At that point, Lucas had stepped away from the union due to penalties from ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ for breaking crediting guidelines, which meant that the DGA wouldn’t let any of its members, including Spielberg, direct ‘Return of the Jedi’. When Spielberg was disqualified, both David Lynch and David Cronenberg were approached for the position. However, in both instances, they felt they weren’t suitable choices to helm a Star Wars production.

The Sequel Trilogy

After Disney revealed plans for Episodes VII-IX, one of the initial candidates approached to helm the new Star Wars film was Brad Bird. Known for his successful Disney productions like The Incredibles, and recently acclaimed for directing the fourth Mission Impossible movie to critical and commercial success, it’s understandable why the studio sought him out. However, Bird declined the offer to concentrate on Tomorrowland instead. He admitted to contemplating the idea of directing both movies, but soon acknowledged that such a feat would have been unattainable given the simultaneous release schedules – with Tomorrowland premiering in May 2015 and Disney demanding that Episode VII be released in the same year as well.

After Bird decided to step back from the project, I found myself eagerly awaiting news about who would take up the mantle next. Names like Guillermo del Toro and Neill Blomkamp were mentioned as potential directors, but in subsequent interviews, they both revealed that they had declined the offer before JJ Abrams was eventually brought on board.

2012 saw numerous filmmakers discussing their encounters with Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy following Disney’s acquisition. Yet, it isn’t always certain whether these directors declined the project or if Lucasfilm opted for a different path. For instance, both Matthew Vaughn and David Fincher have mentioned Star Wars-related meetings prior to the launch of The Force Awakens. It’s also unclear whether these meetings involved discussing directing an episode of the Skywalker Saga or one of the numerous spinoff films being planned at that time.

Apart from JJ Abrams, there was another individual who rejected the opportunity to direct a Star Wars movie at that time. Interestingly, JJ Abrams accepted the offer to helm the first film in the new trilogy, although he was once presented with the possibility of directing all three movies. However, due to his busy schedule, he found it too overwhelming and turned down the offer. Despite this initial refusal, he eventually took up the task of directing the last movie of the sequel trilogy. Nonetheless, he remains on the list for having declined the chance to direct Episodes VIII and IX in the beginning.

2024-08-14 21:22