”Star Wars’ Isn’t A Movie, It’s a Religion,’ JJ Abrams Says
Abrams and Jon Favreau also touched on video on demand and technology in a conversation at the Milken Global Conference
Matt Pressberg | May 1, 2017 @ 8:36 PM
Last Updated: May 1, 2017 @ 11:18 PM
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Writer-producer-directors JJ Abrams and Jon Favreau have been in charge of some of Hollywood’s iconic franchises, from “Star Wars” to “Iron Man” to “The Jungle Book.” And the key to doing right by those storied names — and their rabid fans: attention to detail.
In a dinner conversation with Apple senior vice president of internet software and services Eddy Cue at the Milken Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Favreau and Abrams talked about what goes into that stewardship — and the sometimes unreasonable expectations that come with it.
“‘Star Wars’ isn’t a movie, it’s a religion,” Abrams said. “But this religion people have — they don’t always know how fungible these things are.”
Abrams told a story about Harrison Ford sitting in the Millennium Falcon while filming “The Force Awakens” and immediately noticing that two yokes on the dashboard weren’t there on the original “Star Wars” spaceship. Abrams said that was because the first movie was made on such a low budget, they couldn’t afford actual yokes with springs that stayed put — which the “Force Awakens” production budget could now accommodate. So the lack of authenticity was actually an improvement.
Abrams, the director of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the third movie ever to gross $2 billion worldwide, and executive producer of HBO hit “Westworld,” also touched on one of Hollywood’s hottest topics: the possibly changing theatrical window. In his comments, Abrams called premium video on demand, a la Sean Parker’s Screening Room, something that looks almost certain to happen.
“People do want to see movies, and can’t always get to the theater,” he said. “It seems like an inevitable thing that movies become available at a premium.”
Somewhat ironically for a conversation with an Apple exec, Abrams said that technology doesn’t always make things better, giving an example of a “pre-visualization” on “The Force Awakens” that resulted in a set being constructed exactly in accordance with video renderings — and not real enough looking. Also, and not entirely surprisingly, Abrams said the creative process can be hampered by the presence of people overly focused on the bottom line.
“We’ve all been in a meeting with guys in a room with numbers and the result of the film doesn’t feel inspired,” Abrams said.
In response to Cue introducing Favreau with a nod to one of his characters on “Friends,” the writer, actor and director said he isn’t surprised at being recognized for a role he played decades ago — thanks to a surge in on-demand viewing made possible by the proliferation of streaming services like Netflix.
“Now there’s a new platform with every streaming service,” Favreau, who is directing Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of “The Lion King,” told Cue. “There are people being introduced to works we did a decade ago that we thought were lost to history.”
Favreau touched on the second life so many non-tentpole films and TV shows find as cult classic on video — and now streaming services — mentioning how important the non-theatrical audience was to “Swingers,” the 1996 film that put him on the map.
“We opened to great per-screen numbers, but when we tried to widen out, it just nosedived,” Favreau said. “It was really on video where it found its audience. It was a harbinger of things to come.”
“[It] was a great excuse to go to the best chefs in the world and learn about cooking,” Favreau said. “I don’t know what it is about being 50, but I want to learn everything. In college, I didn’t want to learn anything.”
And with Hollywood writers potentially striking as soon as midnight tonight, Abrams shared a relevant anecdote from his earliest days in Hollywood. He entered the industry as a screenwriter right after his senior year of college, when he wrote a treatment with Jill Mazursky that would eventually be the basis of “Taking Care of Business.” But in 1988, he was just a guy with a new job facing down a strike.
“I got to be a working writer and was immediately on the picket line,” Abrams said.
17 Live-Action Disney Movies in the Works (Photos)
Disney will be pumping out live-action versions of its animated classics for a long time to come. Here's a list of titles in the works, including the release date of the original.
"Cruella" Extracted from the famous villainess of 1961’s “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” this origin story of a woman who declares open season on purebred puppies -- Cruella de Vil -- stars Emma Stone. The reigning live-action Cruella is Glenn Close, who herself starred in two live-action adaptations. It's due in theaters May 28, 2021.
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"Jungle Cruise"
OK, OK, "Jungle Cruise" might not count as live-action film based on a previously animated classic, but it is based on a ride at Disneyland, so we're going to include it. Plus, we'll take any chance to talk about Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in the same sentence. It will hit theaters July 30, 2021.
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"The Little Mermaid" So now we're getting into films that are in some stage of development but haven't necessarily been slated for release. After all, Disney has so many untitled films slated, it's hard to count. But a live-action version of "The Little Mermaid" has been long discussed, as it is arguably one of the most popular and profitable movies in Disney's vault. Rob Marshall is on board direct, with newcomer Halle Bailey set to star as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian the crab.
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"Pinocchio"
"Pinocchio" is also in the works, with Tom Hanks playing Geppetto.
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"The Jungle Book 2" This is a no-brainer follow-up to Favreau's hit from spring 2016, based on the animated classic released in 1967.
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"Rose Red" This one is trippy (no pun over producer Tripp Vinson), but promising creatively. In the German fairy tale, Rose Red is Snow White's sister. Disney and Vinson are collaborating on introducing the world to the sibling of the famous apple-loving princess. Disney released the original "Snow White" in 1937.
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"Snow White" Forget her sister -- the original baddest chick in the Disney animated kingdom is coming back for her own standalone film. It was announced at the end of October 2016.
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"Aladdin 2"
After the $1 billion-plus box office success of 2019's Will Smith-led "Aladdin," the studio announced in February 2020 that John Gatins and Andrea Berloff would write a sequel.
"Hercules"
Talk about going from zero to hero. The original 1997 retelling of Greek myths was a box office underachiever, but developed a big enough cult following that the studio announced plans for a live-action remake in April 2020, with "Avengers: Endgame" directors Joe and Anthony Russo producing.
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"Peter Pan" Neverland will get a practical set if Disney has its way updating the 1953 animated film.
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"James and the Giant Peach" In one of the more interesting adaptations, this beloved Roald Dahl book became a quirky claymation hit for Disney in 1996 with director Henry Selick. Heavy dramatist director Sam Mendes was attached to take a stab at it, but he has since dropped out.
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"Hunchback"
In early 2019, a live-action film based on 1996's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was announced. Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang was tapped to pen the script, with Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz handling the music.
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"Tinker Bell"
This movie has also been in the works for quite some time, with Reese Witherspoon attached as the cute little fairy from "Peter Pan."
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"Bambi"
In January 2020, Disney hired Geneva Robertson-Dworet (“Captain Marvel") and Lindsey Beer (“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser,”) to write the script for the live-action remake of the 1942 animated classic.
"Oliver Twist" While Disney never formally made a direct animated take on Charles Dickens' beloved orphan, the studio did release the adorable 1988 "Oliver and Company," inspired by Dickens' tale but told with animals. The studio also made a small-screen live-action version in 1997 with Richard Dreyfuss.
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"Lilo & Stitch"
And another film that is supposed to get the live-action treatment and some point. This project was announced in October 2018 with Mike Van Waes attached to pen the script. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback are producing. In November, it was announced that Jon M. Chu was in early talks to direct.
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"The Lion King" Sequel
In September, it was announced that Barry Jenkins would direct the follow-up to Jon Favreau's 2019 hit. The logline is being kept under wraps, but Deadline reported that the film will explore the mythology of the other characters throughout Pride Rock, including Mufasa’s origin story.
No release date for the next film has been set, and it’s unclear when production would begin. No cast has been set either.
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The studio is raiding its vault to remake classics including “The Little Mermaid”
Disney will be pumping out live-action versions of its animated classics for a long time to come. Here's a list of titles in the works, including the release date of the original.