Star Wars To Be Directed By Former Pixarian Brenda Chapman? Here's Some Evidence...

[Brendon Connelly]

There has been more going on at Lucasfilm than top secret Star Wars meetings.

For some time we've known that they were planning some kind of animated film about fairies. Last we heard, TMNT's Kevin Munroe was said to be directing from a script by David Berenbaum, the writer of Elf. That was over two years ago.

I had a good long chat with Lucasfilm producer Rick McCallum in the summer, and as well as discussingRed Tails, I asked him about progress on the fairy film. Our conversation went like this:

Bleeding Cool: It's a musical?

McCallum: Yes.

BC: It's about fairies?

M: Yes.

BC: The animation will be outsourced?

M: Nobody knows where that will be done yet.I have no idea when it's going to be finished... or when they're actually going to start properly on it. It's a very complex thing to do a perfect fairy, technologically a perfect fairy.

BC: Do you have songs yet?

M: There's a list of potential songs that will be in the movie.

BC: So they're pre-existing songs?

M: I'm not going to tell you.

BC: That sounds like a yes.

M: It's a "Possible."

The project seemed very much alive, as of that conversation in June of this year.

Then in August, Brenda Chapman, the former Pixarian who initiated and co-directed Brave, took a job at Lucasfilm. I assumed, at the time, that she was getting involved with the fairies film, perhaps replacing Munroe.

But could I have been wrong?

Last night, Chapman tweeted out a link to Time Magazine's 10 Suggestions for the Star Wars sequel, and solicited more suggestions from her followers.

One said:

I'd like you to direct it Star Wars needs a talented animation director as it always felt to me as sort of a animation.

And this is when Chapman replied:

Thanks. We will just have to wait and see what happens

Now, she could just be playing games, or perhaps she's just being polite, but Chapman has definitely just turned up the heat a little on those hitherto quietly simmering rumours that attached her to the Star Wars series.

There are various other possibilities, of course. The original conference call that Bob Iger held on the night that the Lucasfilm-Disney deal became public referred to new Star Wars animation for TV, and it's possible that Chapman has been recruited for that. For all we know, there could even be another animated Star Wars feature in the offing.

Or perhaps Chapman has gone to work on the fairies film.

But I have a hunch that project is probably going to wind down and fade away now. Disney already have a fully fairy-centric series of movies going on with Tinkerbell right now and I don't know that they'd really want two different sets of fairy tales, pulling in opposite directions.

The final possibility is that Chapman hasn't been recruited as a director, but as a writer. Perhaps she's joined with Michael Arndt to work on a "story team" for Star Wars, developing sequences the way that Pixar or Disney Animation would. Certainly seems to fit the timing, the skill-set, everything...

Right now, that's where I'd put my chips. It points to an encouraging creative process for Episode 7 too, so it's hard not to fall in love with the idea.

[Captain Comet]

I'm a little bit iffy on this, because didn't she get booted off Brave?

[Adam]

I'm a little bit iffy on this, because didn't she get booted off Brave?

Also, BRAVE was a DreamWorks-level film, quality-wise. Not a disaster, but no masterpiece, beautifully rendered as it was.

[Doordoor123]

Also, BRAVE was a DreamWorks-level film, quality-wise. Not a disaster, but no masterpiece, beautifully rendered as it was.

Agreed. It was definitely not as enjoyable any other Pixar movie. I think the reason for that is because Pixar usually has some sort of adventure and Brave was NOT an adventure in the least. Not only that, but the humor was filled with over-the-top character humor while Pixar movies usually have relatable human humor. I didn't see Brave to see a Dreamworks movie and I was upset. I don't have anything against her directing, but I have everything against Brave.
If she IS the director though, I have a feeling these movies are only going to be for fan service. Even MORE so then the first three.

[cartoonistaaron]

I do not see this happening. I don't even see how it's a plausible rumor. She's directed two movies - Prince of Egypt (that animated, uh, hit) and Brave - and she was kicked off of Brave. I don't see Disney saying "THAT'S who we want directing our first foray into this franchise we just dumped four billion dollars into!"

Nothing against her - I just can't see that Disney would put her in charge (or even CONSIDER putting her in charge) of such a big deal.

[JOE SOAP]

Like Disney will put another animator in charge of a $100 million+ live-action sci-fi film, just like they did with Andrew Stanton.

[toodoor]

Also, BRAVE was a DreamWorks-level film, quality-wise. Not a disaster, but no masterpiece, beautifully rendered as it was.

Let's be honest, that still makes it better than most Star Wars Films. Of the 6, one's a truly great film, 2 are pretty good, two are meh and one is diabolical.

[Brendon Connelly]

I just can't see that Disney would put her in charge (or even CONSIDER putting her in charge) of such a big deal.

She was already hired to do something at Lucasfilm... if you read the whole post, you'll see I suggest that she might a 'story artist' role on Star Wars, not full directorship.

[Lars Jensen]

I think it's more likely they pick Sam Mendes. Or Robert Zemeckis.

[ewokpelts]

Also, BRAVE was a DreamWorks-level film, quality-wise. Not a disaster, but no masterpiece, beautifully rendered as it was.

It was a hell of a lot better than the cars films.