Star Wars: Ep VII Expected To Have $200 Million Budget, Script Still Not Finished
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Believe it or not, production on Star Wars: Episode VII is expected to begin in spring 2014. Although the Star Wars movie has been in pre-production since October 2012, when Disney acquired Lucasfilm, a completed script has yet to materialize, over a full year later. Should Star Wars fans be concerned that a full screenplay has yet to be produced? The chairman of Walt Disney doesn’t think so.
According to /Film, Disney chairman Alan Horn, while speaking at a Variety event Friday morning, said he expects to read a full script for Episode VII in January. The budget for the film also can’t be completed until the script is finished. Horn believes Episode VII should cost upwards of $200 million, but that figure is just an estimation until it’s finished on the page. Variety reporter Marc Graser (@marcgraser) tweeted the following:
Disney expects to get script for Star Wars 7 in January. No budget for movie although studio wouldn't be surprised if it costs $200 million.
— Marc Graser (@marcgraser) December 13, 2013
A few months ago, J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan took over writing duties on Episode VII, after screenwriter Michael Arndt had worked on the project for more than a year. In fact, Arndt was working on the screenplay before Disney acquired Lucasfilm in October 2012. He finished a 40-page treatment of Episode VII‘s general story and characters, and then started working on the script itself. Apparently the film’s story wasn’t coming together as well as Abrams wanted, so Arndt left the project and Abrams and Lawrence jumped in to complete the groundwork for a new Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Also at the Variety event, Horn talked about the future of Lucasfilm, which is expected to involve one new Star Wars per year. While the stories behind these movies have yet to be revealed, it is believed that these spin-off movies will begin to be released after Star Wars: Episode VII hits in 2015. So the first non-“Episode” Star Wars movie should be released sometime in 2016.
Disney expects a Star Wars related movie (including spin offs) every year from Lucasfilm. #StarWars
— Marc Graser (@marcgraser) December 13, 2013
Meanwhile, non-related to Star Wars, but part of Lucasfilm, Alan Horn revealed that Disney is working to make Indiana Jones 5, but at the moment, there is no story attached to the next adventure of the archaeologist adventurer just yet. Horn expects the film to be released sometime in the next two to three years. So the earliest Indiana Jones 5 would open in theaters is 2016, and at the latest 2017.
It was rumored that actor Harrison Ford only agreed to reprise his role as Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode VII if Disney would make Indiana Jones 5 with the 71-year-old actor in the leading role. Last week, Disney announced that they would be making and distributing a new Indiana Jones film series with Paramount Pictures (Indy’s former home) sharing in the franchise’s profits.
Disney's Alan Horn on Indiana Jones: "We need a story." Guesses it will be another two to three years before we see a fifth movie.
— Marc Graser (@marcgraser) December 13, 2013
We expect to hear something more solid surrounding Star Wars: Episode VII at the beginning of the new year. Currently, no actors have been cast in the film, but there are plenty of rumors regarding who might appear in the new film, including Jack O’Connell, Michael B. Jordan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Day-Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, David Oyelowo, Alex Pettyfer, and Rachel Hurd-Wood. There are no plot details available yet, but whatever the story may be, it will be the first installment of a brand-new film trilogy.
Star Wars: Episode VII will hit theaters everywhere on December 18, 2015, in 3D.
