Ben Affleck Doesn’t Want To Direct Episode VII, Says J.J. Abrams Should Do It
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At this point, we should compile a list of directors who DON’T want to direct the new Star Wars movie. We’re getting closer and closer to when Disney and Lucasfilm will announce who will helm Episode VII, but just to get a jump on things actor turned director Ben Affleck has removed his name from the running, and suggested that J.J. Abrams guy would be dynamite for the job.
At GQ’s Men of the Year party, Affleck admitted that he’d be the wrong choice to direct Star Wars: Episode VII. “I’d be too busy worrying about how the action figures would look for each character to direct the actual movie,” he joked. Although Affleck showed enthusiasm for Star Wars and less interest in the directing job, he said that geek icon J.J. Abrams would “crush” the new Star Wars movie.
J.J. (Abrams) would kill it, he would crush it, but he would be great at anything. There are a lot of good directors out there. Naturally I would be inclined to get somebody who’s great at telling stories. You’re never going to be able to recapture the story that was the initial three, because it’s so legendary and iconic. I don’t know, I’m glad I don’t have that job. It’s a tough decision to make.
It’s interesting to think about Ben Affleck directing Star Wars: Episode VII. A big part of his new film, Argo, involved the CIA using a fake science fiction movie in the same vein as Star Wars as a cover to extract diplomats from Iran. In fact, the last moments of the film highlight The Empire Strikes Back.
So far the list of directors who aren’t interested in the Star Wars: Episode VII directing job includes Zack Snyder, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, and Guillermo del Toro. They are all fine directors (yes, even Zack Snyder), but their sensibilities would be wrong for Star Wars. Spielberg would be the closest to “crushing” it, in terms of execution, but his track record with Lucasfilm properties is questionable. We can all still remember Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
You can watch the MTV video of Ben Affleck answering the Star Wars question below:
