Get together and do it again. Better.
Sep. 9th, 2010 10:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davywavyI've had one idea in my life which I'm convinced would make money and lots of it if put into action it's this one: Muppet Star Wars. A shot-for-shot remake of the original Star Wars starring the muppets. As an idea, as soon as you think of it it starts to write itself - Kermit as Luke, Miss Piggy as Leia, Gonzo and Fozzie as Han and Chewbacca, the American Eagle as The Grand Moff Tarkin, the chickens as Stormtroopers...
I remain convinced to the core of my being that it would be both utterly hilarious and also wildly popular. It's a mystery to me why Henson and Lucasfilm don't just team up and make it rather than wasting their time with second-rate filler material like The Clone Wars film and Muppet Wizard of Oz.
Anyway, I was re-watching The Empire strikes back and Return of the Jedi over the last few evenings and despite the mis-step of the Ewoks it struck me once again what good films they really are, especially in the light of the prequels. The closing reel of Empire is a masterclass in how to put together a fight/escape sequence; the genuine chemistry between the leads as opposed to Balsa Boy sucking the life out of every scene in the more recent films; and above all the way they are true ensemble pieces - in Jedi every major character (even C3PO and Wedge Antilles) gets their moment in the sun to do something heroic as part of the final victory. As examples of 'This is how it's done' I struggle to think of many better.
And as I thought about this in the light of the prequels it made me realise how there comes a time when other people 'get' a creators vision better than the original creator does. In George Lucas' case that happened pretty quickly with people like Kurtz and Kershner and Kasdan. But it also happened with Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek as well. Despite Roddenberry having the original idea the best examples of his creation were the work of people like Harlan Ellison and Nicholas Meyer, and lately JJ Abrams. And that's when my latest wheeze came to me: What Star Wars needs isn't more expanded universe bobbins and utterly uninteresting Clone Wars ho-hum. What it needs is a reboot.
I don't know if you read the fantastic winning entry to the AICN Revenge of the Sith script competition but it's worth a look just to get a feel of what could be done with Lucas' rather hackneyed scripting and half-skilled rep actor in the lead if they were handed to someone with a creative vision.
Nobody except Lucas himself wants to see the original three films remade, but give someone like Abrams a free reign and a budget and say to him "You know the story arc. Knock yourself out"? I'd give good money to see what got made.
I remain convinced to the core of my being that it would be both utterly hilarious and also wildly popular. It's a mystery to me why Henson and Lucasfilm don't just team up and make it rather than wasting their time with second-rate filler material like The Clone Wars film and Muppet Wizard of Oz.
Anyway, I was re-watching The Empire strikes back and Return of the Jedi over the last few evenings and despite the mis-step of the Ewoks it struck me once again what good films they really are, especially in the light of the prequels. The closing reel of Empire is a masterclass in how to put together a fight/escape sequence; the genuine chemistry between the leads as opposed to Balsa Boy sucking the life out of every scene in the more recent films; and above all the way they are true ensemble pieces - in Jedi every major character (even C3PO and Wedge Antilles) gets their moment in the sun to do something heroic as part of the final victory. As examples of 'This is how it's done' I struggle to think of many better.
And as I thought about this in the light of the prequels it made me realise how there comes a time when other people 'get' a creators vision better than the original creator does. In George Lucas' case that happened pretty quickly with people like Kurtz and Kershner and Kasdan. But it also happened with Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek as well. Despite Roddenberry having the original idea the best examples of his creation were the work of people like Harlan Ellison and Nicholas Meyer, and lately JJ Abrams. And that's when my latest wheeze came to me: What Star Wars needs isn't more expanded universe bobbins and utterly uninteresting Clone Wars ho-hum. What it needs is a reboot.
I don't know if you read the fantastic winning entry to the AICN Revenge of the Sith script competition but it's worth a look just to get a feel of what could be done with Lucas' rather hackneyed scripting and half-skilled rep actor in the lead if they were handed to someone with a creative vision.
Nobody except Lucas himself wants to see the original three films remade, but give someone like Abrams a free reign and a budget and say to him "You know the story arc. Knock yourself out"? I'd give good money to see what got made.
A use of riches
Date: 2010-09-09 10:52 am (UTC)Lucas (acidly): Midichlorians.
Jobs: Whatever, yeah, anyhow, what I've decided to do, George, is put up $300 million of my own money to make those movies, I thought maybe get someone like Kirshner to direct, it'll be the ultimate fan fiction tribute, like a, you know, a homage, George. What d'you think? I thought you should be the first to know.
Anyhow, if someone like Jobs actually did this, and the movies were made on a not-for profit basis and distributed free of charge, would Lucasfilms actually be able to do anything about it? Or would it just be like fanfiction, on an enormous scale? Is there any qualitative difference?
H
Re: A use of riches
Date: 2010-09-09 10:54 am (UTC)Re: A use of riches
Date: 2010-09-09 02:25 pm (UTC)