Possible Star Wars Directors Get Interesting - Guillermo Del Toro And Colin Trevorrow

[Brendon Connelly]

Patrick Dane writes for Bleeding Cool.It seems that no director can escape the touch of Star Wars. Not a day goes by that a reporter doesn't ask whichever poor victim is in front of them if they are involved with the resurrected saga.

Spielberg, Abrams, Snyder and Tarantino have said no and Favreau is down as a maybe. Now its the turn of two other directors. One big, one small, both with interesting answers.

First victim comes in the form of Guillermo Del Toro. Fanhattan asked him about his feelings on the gig and while it sounds like he was hardly overflowing with enthusiasm, he did call it attractive.

You know, I saw it on the Internet, but I haven?t approached them, they haven?t formally approached me. I mean, I heard some rumblings, but to me it?s really ? I have so many projects to discuss or think about. Something that is not a possibility yet, I don?t do that. You know, because I have so many things that I need to catch up with. If this becomes ever a reality, and there?s an approach to do it, I would then think about it, but it?s like thinking if I want to date a supermodel. I don?t think about these things.

Formally approached, note. The emphasis, Fanhattan notes, was Del Toro's.

While it isn't a huge surprise that Del Toro is saying he's busy, he is also saying that the door is at least open to a proper offer. Likening the franchise to a supermodel won't hurt either.

We heard last week thatSafety NotGuaranteed'sColin Trevorrowhas spoken to Lucasfilm too, even before his debut film has rolled out across much of the globe

Moviezine (via Joblo) did end up getting some interesting quotes from the director that seem to cement that there have been talks.

It is not something that I can comment too much on. But I candefinitely say, I am as much of a fan of Star Wars as everyone elsefor whom Star Wars was the most important thing in their life, whenthey were a kid. I'm deeply aware of how profoundly important it is,to billions of people. It really is a mythology and possibly even abelief system for a lot of people. I certainly can't comment on whatmy involvement may ever be, I can definitely say that I wouldabsolutely love to direct a "Star Wars" film at some point in my life.That would be incredible, I'm not daunted by it.

Not being able to comment on something, understanding the value of a fan-favourite series and reassuring that fan base that you would not overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility are usually the traits of someone who's having to take their comments very seriously. We may actually have something on our hands with this Trevorrow talk.

He went on to talk about how he thinks it's important to honour the style of the original trilogy:

That is a very specific example of something that needs to feel consistent with the movies that came before it. That's a sequel to Return of the Jedi, that's a very specific world and a specific style of filmmaking and presentation. I think that whoever does that movie, to depart too far, at least for these particular films?

While Trevorrow may not have been on top many people's lists for this film, things seem to be stacking up in his favour. Would Disney go for a a director this "small"?

It remains to be seen. And if not this time around maybe next time around. Could Trevorrow end up being the Irvin Kershner of this new trilogy?

[Marine]

I'd rather it wasn't Del Toro, want him to do Heaven Sent instead

[Brendon Connelly]

I'd rather it wasn't Del Toro, want him to do Heaven Sent instead

That film would be years and years away in any case.

[MyInfiniteAbyss]

Every film Del Toro seems to involve himself with is an infinite time away from happening.

[The Xenos]

Meh. I wpuld rather see Del Toro do his own movies. Or Mountains of Madness or any Lovecraft film.

Hobbit took up ejough of his time. I do not want him tied up with Star Wars.

[Devil Dinosaur]

Colin Trevorrow is at great pains to say all the right things, like a guy trying to get in a girl's pants. He's even trying unconvincingly not to seem too anxious. Makes me think he may be the right man for the job, even though I haven't seen anything he's done.

[StarCruncher]

Alfonso Cuaron FTW. His Harry Potter movie was the best of the franchise - I'd love to see what he would bring to Star Wars (no Y Tu Mama jokes plz).

[Gabriel]

Colin Trevorrow Tiptoes Around 'Star Wars' Speculation, Looks to the Future
The writer-director behind "Safety Not Guaranteed" has found himself in the middle of "Episode VII" speculation, which has provided some very surreal moments.

There is no detail too small to escape the obsessive stare of Star Wars fans, and since Lucasfilm announced that it would be taking the series out of carbonite and creating three new sequels, devotees of The Force have been parsing out any news update and interview quote midi-chlorian by midi-chlorian, hoping for any hints about the upcoming films.

It all has led to some surreal moments for Safety Not Guaranteed director Colin Trevorrow, a lifelong Star Wars fanatic who found himself at the center of speculation when a blog resurfaced comments he made about hoping to direct a new chapter in a film franchise with a built-in fan base.

"It’s not going to be me for Episode VII, and I can’t believe I’ve actually had to come out and say that," Trevorrow told The Hollywood Reporter at the IFP Gotham Awards on Monday. "That was the most shocking thing, like around the dinner table when I was 8, I had to assure everyone that it wasn’t me, but now actually for real. But there are a lot of things that have come up that are a lot of exciting opportunities that have come up because of [Safety]."

Lucasfilm already has announced the three screenwriters for the three films (Michael Arndt, Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg), though no directors have been set. If a fan really wanted to parse Trevorrow's statements, he only said he wouldn't be directing the first film of the bunch, leaving the next two technically up in the air. He wasn't keen to talk about the series any further.

But the writer-director, whose debut film about a would-be time traveler stars Mark Duplass, Aubrey Plaza and Jake Johnson, has been exploring many options, both in writing his own features to direct and taking on someone else's screenplay. Safety, Trevorrow said, has led to conversations with many filmmakers that have nothing to do with Luke, Leia and Han.

"More than project-specific, I’ll get an opportunity to meet people that I really respect," he said. "And it’s really casual and it’s about them being admirers of the film, and to me that’s the most comfortable. I can talk about my family and how hard it is to live outside of Los Angeles and be a director. I’ve got a lot of questions, and a lot of them are a little more personal, and so I’m trying to pick people’s brains about that -- how to navigate that and deal with it. So it’s been a real privilege to have conversations with people I’ve admired for a long time."

From Film School Rejects:
UPDATED: Colin Trevorrow on Directing ‘Star Wars’? – “I Promise You… I Will Make It Not Suck”


Disney taps 'Safety' duo for 'Navigator' rewrite - Being developed as potential directing vehicle for Colin Trevorrow

Two of Sundance 2012's breakout stars are preparing for another adventure, as the "Safety Not Guaranteed" team of Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly have been hired to rewrite Disney's "Flight of the Navigator" remake, which will be developed with as a potential directing vehicle for Trevorrow.

Directed by Randal Kleiser, the original 1986 sci-fi pic followed a 12 year-old boy who goes missing and reappears eight years later having not aged a day. At the same time, an alien spacecraft crashes nearby, which may explain the boy's disappearance.

Joey Cramer starred in the original alongside Veronica Cartwright and Sarah Jessica Parker, while Paul Reubens provided the voice of the flying saucer's pilot. Brad Copeland ("Arrested Development") was hired to pen the first draft of the remake in May 2009.

David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing the remake through their Mandeville banner, which has a first-look deal at the Mouse House.

"'Flight of the Navigator' wasn't a seminal movie of my childhood but I remember liking it and the original meant a lot to Colin as a kid, so it's really his baby. It'll be good to have some balance so it's not two fanboys writing the movie," Connolly told Variety.

Disney is already in business with Trevorrow and Connolly, who recently sold the studio an untitled project that will be produced by Temple Hill ("The Twilight Saga"). Trevorrow is attached to direct the pic, which is keeping its logline under wraps.

Trevorrow directed "Safety Not Guaranteed" from a script by fellow producer Connolly, who won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance, where the film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Duo were just nominated for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. They're also due to reteam with Big Beach for "Intelligent Life," formerly titled "The Ambassador," which Trevorrow will direct from a script he co-wrote with Connolly, who's currently writing a project for Pixar.

Trevorrow and Connolly are repped by Verve, 3 Arts Entertainment and attorney Lev Ginsburg.

From THR May 2009:
Disney is readying another launch of sci-fi adventure movie "Flight of the Navigator."

Brad Copeland is writing the remake, which is being produced by Mandeville partners David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman.

The 1986 original told the story of a 12-year-old boy who is abducted by an alien spacecraft in 1978 and reappears eight years later, still the same age and with no memory of what happened. NASA scientists discover a connection between the boy and a downed spacecraft and try to exploit the boy, who ultimately escapes with the ship and attempts to reunite with his family.

The movie grossed only $17 million when it was released but was later rediscovered on VHS, becoming a cult hit.

John Hyde, who executive produced the first one, steps into the same role for the new version.

Mandeville's senior vp Albert Page will help oversee development and exec produce. Kristin Burr is overseeing for Disney.

Copeland, repped by UTA, wrote "Wild Hogs" for Disney and is writing "Nightcrawlers" at Warners. He cut his teeth in the TV world, where he acted as writer-producer on "Arrested Development" and recently as writer and consulting producer on "My Name is Earl."

Disney-based Mandeville is readying the release of "The Proposal," the Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy opening June 19. The company is behind the Bruce Willis sci-fi action thriller "The Surrogates," which Disney scheduled for a Sept. 25 release, and is in pre-production on Relativity and Paramount's "The Fighter," a boxing pic which will see David O. Russell directing Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg.