Believe it or not, JJ Abrams first movie was not an original creation of his own, but rather a sequel to an already existing franchise. Yep, his first real movie was ‘Mission Impossible 3,’ and since then, he has been the go-to director for revitalizing, relaunching and enhancing many movie franchises that had lost their way. Since then he has been lucky enough to softly reboot the ‘Star Trek’ franchise, and then once that was complete and he said he was done with sequels, he was talked into relaunching the ‘Star Wars’ franchise for a new generation, a task which he accomplished with much praise. But now, it seems the man?
In his own words:
“Here’s the thing: I don’t feel particularly snobby about the origins of a story, of the idea. If it’s a book, if it’s a song, if it’s an existing movie, or ideally an original idea, an original script. I do feel just conceptually, do I want to do another sequel? No. I feel like I’m, as a director, I was done doing that when I did the first movies. I’d done Mission and Star Trek, and then I did the next – really because the idea of not working with these people was sort of too hard to deal with. Then I was really, really done… and then [Lucasfilm President] Kathleen Kennedy called…”
However, just because he does not want to direct franchise movies anymore, it does not mean he will not be involved:
“I feel as a producer, involved in these projects, either having helped conceive of a new direction or cast the movies, I’m thrilled to help them continue in the best way that I can be of help. As a director, I really want to do something that’s not a sequel.”
As for the most recent universe he left his mark on, the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy, Abrams may not be back to direct, but he does have an idea for a story he would enjoy seeing someone else make:
“I gotta say Kathy Kennedy, who’s running it all, she seems to be pushing all the right buttons. There isn’t something that I’d love to see—I guess the one thing I would say is there’s a Knights of Ren story that I think would be pretty cool to tell.”
What are your thoughts on Abrams removing himself from the sequel game? Do you think you will still go see an original JJ Abrams movie? (keep in mind the last one he directed was ‘Super 8,’ which had mixed reviews from critics and fans). Share your opinions in the comments section below!
SOURCE: Cinemablend, Collider
