When Disney first announced that it had acquired Lucasfilm and was moving forward with new Star Wars films, the level of fan excitement was understandably very, very high.  Not only did Disney have new Star Wars films in the pipeline, but the studio was hoping to release the next one—Episode VII—in just three short years.  With the potential 2015 release date looming, the search for a director began, culminating with producer Kathleen Kennedy finally tapping Mr. J.J. Abrams to take the helm.

While Abrams is clearly busy promoting the release of Star Trek Into Darkness at the moment, he’s also very deep in development on Star Wars: Episode VII.  Steve recently spoke with Abrams’ producer Bryan Burk about Into Darkness, and during the course of their conversation Burk also talked briefly about Star Wars, which he is also producing alongside Abrams and Kennedy.  While he was understandably tight-lipped, Burk did reveal that they’re hoping to start filming early next year.  Hit the jump to read on.

As the release of director J.J. Abrams’ sequel Star Trek Into Darkness, the filmmaker is understandably going to be inundated with questions about Star Wars: Episode VII.  While we will likely see all kinds of evasions and non-answers from Abrams while on the publicity circuit (and again, understandably so), the director recently sat down with the folks at Playboy for an extended interview, and it’s probably more revealing than anything you’re going to see in the coming months.  Abrams discusses his approach to Episode VII and how much input he has into the story, the possibility of him directing Star Trek 3, and even Cloverfield 2 and the prospect of an Alias movie.  Hit the jump to read on.

Another day, another Star Wars rumor.  As anticipation for Disney and Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII continues to rise, fans are clamoring for every tiny bit of information concerning the new trilogy.  Firm details are incredibly scarce at the moment, and things will likely stay that way for some time now that “Mystery Man” J.J. Abrams has officially signed on to direct Episode VII.  The most recent unconfirmed rumor concerning the film states that Harrison Ford is in talks to reprise his role as Han Solo, and now a new rumor has surfaced that suggests Solo will be joined by his pals Luke and Leia, as Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher may or may not be returning in a storyline that focuses on the trio’s children.  Hit the jump for more.

In November, we reported that Harrison Ford was open to returning for Star Wars: Episode VII.  Today, we’ve learned that the scruffy nerdherder Han Solo will likely appear in the upcoming, long-awaited sequel.  This casting clues us in to at least a few details about the script.  First, at some point we have to see what takes place about 35 years after Return of the Jedi.  It doesn’t mean the film will begin or take place during that time, and Han Solo’s appearance may be a flashback, but if I recall correctly, there wasn’t a single flashback in any of the previous Star Wars films.  The most you got was a recording of events that had already happened.

Hit the jump for more.  Ford will be seen later this year in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, the thriller Paranoia, and the adaptation of Ender’s Game. [Update: Trusted reporter Geoff Boucher now says that this is far from a done deal. More after the jump.]

Today, we have a collection of brief Star Wars-related stories for you.  First up, when it was announced that J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, /Film reported that Matthew Vaughn, who was considered for the gig, may have pitched LucasFilm to have Chloë Grace Moretz in the lead role.  We don’t know if a female lead would have run contrary to the script Michael Arndt is currently writing, but I love the idea of having a woman lead a Star Wars movie.  With the exception of The Hunger Games, no major, non-romance franchise has a female protagonist, and it’s overdue. [Update: I meant currently-running franchises]  Star Wars has proved its appeal to both genders, and while we’ve seen female Jedi in Clone Wars and the background of the prequels, this would be a great development assuming the character is well-written.

Hit the jump for other Star Wars news bites including Abrams’ reaction to getting the directing gig, and the possibility that the previously-announced 2015 release date might not hold.

Even though we’re nearly three months removed from Halloween, I want to use this week’s opening paragraph to throw some support behind director Michael Stephenson‘s touching documentary, The American Scream. I recently caught the film via Netflix where it’s available to “Watch Instantly” and I was impressed to say the least. Stephenson’s previous entry, the indelible Best Worst Movie, quickly became one of my all-time favorite docs for the unexpected emotional punch it packed in following the lives of those impacted by Troll 2. Scream delivered on a similar level with its themes of family, community, and the pursuit of one’s passion (in this case, home haunting). If you haven’t seen it already, I recommend either checking it out on Netflix or picking up a copy for yourself from the film’s website.

All recommendations aside, much to the surprise of no one, this week’s Top 5 is headlined by the announcement that J.J. Abrams will direct/produce Star Wars: Episode VII with accompaniment by our Bullet to the Head set visit, Warm Bodies video interviews with Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and more, a G.I. Joe: Retaliation set visit preview and interviews with director Jon M. Chu and more, and all of our coverage out of Sundance 2013 to date. A brief recap and link to each is hidden in plain view after the jump.

Disney and Lucasfilm have now confirmed what we already knew: J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII.  The press release was sent out this evening, announcing that Abrams will not only helm the new sequel, but he’ll also produce through Bad Robot with Bryan Burk.  The announcement includes quotes from both producer and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy and Mr. George Lucas himself, and here’s what Lucas had to say about the decision:

“I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller.  He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

Also of note, the press release adds that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) and Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) will be consulting on the project.  We previously learned that the two would have a hand in the scripts for further sequels/spinoffs, but it appears they’re also collaborating on Episode VII.  Michael Arndt is writing the screenplay.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

It’s finally happened, folks.  After weeks of shortlist stories, rumors, and denials, it appears that J.J. Abrams will be directing Star Wars: Episode VII.  Lucasfilm Chief and Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy has apparently been courting Abrams for a while, and Abrams himself “revealed” in December that he turned down the directing gig because he’d “rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making the film.”  So much for that.  Hit the jump for more, including who else was in contention for the job.

In this, the final Saturday of 2012, it’s time to extract five topics from a year’s worth of Top 5‘s for our second annual “End of the Year Edition”. Given that this is a year-end list that exists on the Internet, I’m fully prepared for obligatory statements regarding my choices and how they prove my own ineptitude. That said, in an attempt to preempt such backlash, I’d like to welcome any and all readers to respectfully disagree with me in the comments section. Let’s keep it classy and enjoy a highlight reel of some of the best 2012 had to offer after the jump.

When it was first announced that Disney was purchasing LucasFilm and a new batch of Star Wars films were being produced, one of the first questions on everyone’s mind was “how is George Lucas going to ruin these movies too?”  A large amount of uneasiness was put to rest when Lucas made clear that he was essentially handing the keys of the franchise over to new LucasFilm head Kathleen Kennedy and he’d only be involved with the new films in a “consultant” role.

We know that the upcoming trilogy is based on story treatments and characters that Lucas himself drummed up, but many wondered just how involved Lucas would be with episodes VII, VIII, and IX as a so-called consultant.  Would he be looking over the shoulder of the new director every day of production?  Is he expecting the new screenwriters to strictly follow his own story beats and characters?  Now Lucas himself has come forward to clarify just how involved he’ll be, and it’s fairly encouraging stuff.  Hit the jump for more, including Lucas’ thoughts on the possibility of Steven Spielberg directing one of the new films. 

And the director speculation for Star Wars: Episode VII marches on.  If you thought actor Jason Fleymng’s recent bean-spilling statement regarding Matthew Vaughn as the director of the new Star Wars film would put an end to the rumors and murmurs, think again.  We’ve seen a number of names pop up as being in contention for the task of helming the upcoming untitled Return of the Jedi sequel, and it seems like we’ve seen just as many filmmakers come out and publicly turn the job down.  One such name that has previously spoken publicly about the new trilogy is Jon Favreau, and it appears that he and David Fincher are the latest filmmakers to be added to the growing “contender” list.  Hit the jump for more. 

It’s time for your daily dose of Star Wars: Episode VII rumblings.  With the official confirmation that Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt will be handling script duties on the Return of the Jedi sequel, all eyes are now on which filmmaker LucasFilm will choose to direct the highly anticipated follow-up.  Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, and Zack Snyder have all taken themselves out of the running (though they were all unlikely candidates to begin with), and we recently heard from J.J. Abrams, Jon Favreau, Guillermo del Toro, and Colin Tervorrow about the prospect of helming the follow-up.

Now producer Frank Marshall, husband of new LucasFilm President/Star Wars overseer Kathleen Kennedy, has spoken briefly about the project, revealing that the director search is now down to “a couple of candiates.”  Moreover, Captain America director Joe Johnston has also chimed in with his thoughts on possibly taking over the franchise.  Hit the jump for much more.

Last night I uncovered a gem from 2011 for the first time and my only regret is that I didn’t take the time to seek it out sooner. Writer/director Thomas McCarthy‘s dramedy Win Win is not only consistently funny but also chock full of both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. The performances are terrific all-around, the script is strong albeit somewhat easy to telegraph, and the wrestling scenes are even surprisingly intense at times (I mean, it was nominated for a prestigious ESPY for “Best Sports Film” after all). Matt gave the film his full endorsement when he reviewed it at Sundance 2011 and I’m doing the same here today.

Movie recommendations aside, in what was yet another busy week around these parts, the five standouts include our Skyfall interviews with Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, director Sam Mendes and more, a Beautiful Creatures set visit recap, the first trailer for Brad Pitt‘s World War Z, even more set visit goodness from Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s The Last Stand, and ongoing development news for the next Star Wars trilogy. Keep reading for brief recaps and links to all of the above.

As the world is still reeling from last week’s news that Disney has purchased LucasFilm and is releasing a new Star Wars film in 2015, the conversation has now turned to who will take over the beloved franchise.  We recently learned that Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) has prepared a lengthy treatment and is gunning for the writing gig, and Matthew Vaughn has been mentioned as a possibility for the director’s chair.

When news of Star Wars: Episode VII first broke, a video was released that featured new LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas talking about the future of the franchise.  It appears that the video was just a snippet of the full conversation, as another portion has been released online today in which the two discuss how they’ll go about choosing a director for Episode VII and what Lucas’s “creative consultant” role entails.  Moreover, we have confirmation of two big name directors who definitely won’t be stepping into the director’s chair.  Hit the jump for Star Wars goodness.

Comics creator/Fox consultant Mark Millar likes to talk.  With production currently underway on the adaptation of his comic Kick-Ass 2, Millar has been sharing updates and reports from the set for fans.  He doesn’t exactly have the most objective opinion, but he recently took to the interwebs to talk about seeing some edited footage and the evolution of Hit-Girl in the follow-up now that star Chloe Moretz is three years older.  He also noted that the first 45 minutes of the film will focus mainly on Hit-Girl.

Moreover, with us breaking the recent news that Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn may be in talks to land the highly coveted Star Wars: Episode VII directing gig, Millar chimed in with his thoughts on that prospect.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.