I'm very interested in the TV series. I was lucky enough to spend some time with George Lucas and we talked a bit about the show. It sounds really interesting in the way that he's approaching the series both from a behind-the-scenes point of view and also the on-screen narrative which sounds really intriguing. I feel like the world of Star Wars has gotten to be so vast, not just in terms of the various mediums that it occupies, but because of the visual possibilities that technology has allowed and Industrial Light & Magic is so remarkably capable at creating. My favorite thing about Star Wars is the ability to tell an incredibly personal, intimate and emotional story against a backdrop of conflict and battle that's planetary and massive.
What I would love to see is a story about characters that I am desperately entertained by and definitely care about, and keep that story as focused as possible and make more of that than the pyrotechnics of it all which to me is what makes Star Wars so brilliant. If it's a TV show, that's terrific. If it's animated, I'm all for it. If it's a radio show or a video game or an online experience -- whatever it is -- I would love to discover in this vast universe some new characters that make me feel the way that Luke, Leia and Han Solo did.
Are there any characters in Star Wars you personally wish could have their story told in a bigger way?
It's funny how in a weird way sometimes by demystifying a character it takes away from some of the fun that you felt about that character. It takes the mystery out of it. Sometimes a character is more interesting when you don't know everything about them. Even someone from my generation -- and I'm ancient compared to so many of the Star Wars fans out there -- for me the character of Darth Vader was always so compelling because you were putting together all these thing in your head and making all these assumptions, that to get to know Anakin as much as we ultimately did changed the way you consider Darth Vader. It's crazy that my kids relate to Anakin; which to me is criminal because I grew up believing Vader was a bad guy. I related to Luke and Leia and Han Solo. You just don't relate to Vader! I still think it's wrong to be on Anakin's side. So I guess there's no one character I can point to and say that I want to know more about him or her, it's just that Star Wars is so vast it would be great to find new characters that have that level of emotional intimacy.
Is there anything you'd like to see Star Wars do online?
Star Wars used to have a very defined focus as to what it was and who the characters were, now it's so huge that it encompasses so much more. It's not unlike how Star Trek was when it first came out and you knew all the characters, but now when you ask about it you have different answers from different generations of fans. So the possibilities are endless even though so much of Star Wars has been explored in the novels and elsewhere. Online is the perfect place to have something like an interactive Senate where fans could represent different worlds and debate in character. I could see a giant Star Wars debate team tackle all the issues that the prequels dealt with, then have characters from the movies moderate the discussion.
After introducing fans to a new type of monster film like Cloverfield and delving into sci-fi classics like Star Trek, is there any specific film genre you would like to see get a resurgence?
I don't ever focus on movie genres, but instead characters I'd like to see. There are so many genres that are already out there. If you want to go see a Western, or a '70s period piece, it's available. The reason behind almost anything I work on is because it's not out there right now, and I want to see it.
Tune into Fringe on FOX and watch episodes online here.
Be sure to check out Mission: "Lost" in Star Wars -- J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof to read more about Abrams' thoughts about Star Wars.
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