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Star Wars T.V. 2006! Kevin Smith wanted?

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per aintitcoolnews:

George Lucas wants to bring a live-action “Star Wars” series to television by autumn 2006.
The good guys at the Inland Empire Strikes Back Web site have been chatting up some insiders up at Lucasfilm, and they’re all talking about who should be its showrunner, and some of those guys think it should be “Jersey Girl” mastermind (and avowed “Star Wars” geek) Kevin Smith.
Read the piece here. http://www.iesb.net/tv/tvt92804.htm

Now, something tells me these Lucasfilm employees are likely production designers or effects mavens and perhaps not the big decision-makers up that way.
Would Lucas hand it over to Smith? Would the man who created “Chasing Amy” and “Dogma” be a strong choice to inherit the “Star Wars” saga? Or any ongoing televised drama? What “Star Wars” needs is someone who knows how to create and develop strong characters.
Personally I’d hire Ira Steven Behr, who did an amazing job running “Deep Space Nine” once upon a time. Or “Firefly’s” Tim Minear. Or “Buffy’s” Jane Espenson. And I’d drop a huge pile of cash in the laps of “Authority”/”Global Frequency” creator Warren Ellis and “Wanted” creator Mark Miller to help. Well, it’s fun to think about.
But, in truth, whichever network gets the show will probably make Lucas hire one of the “CSI” showrunners or something.
In it, not of it.
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well, he knows his shit backwards and forwards.
plus, he *does* do incredible character developement. look at chasing amy. it is a brilliant film. yeah, there are fart jokes, etc., but that was the style of that trilogy (of five+ movies). chasing amy shows, however, that he can write compelling, serious dialog. that movie has made a lot of people cry (in a good way).

i think he could do it pretty well.

i just think that it would tank on TV. it would last maybe six episodes.
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I agree with LSD on that one. Smith is a master of developing characters. Sometimes he does it better than other times. I won't say that Mallrats has the best character development, but he did a great job of it in Dogma, Amy, and Clerks.

I also agree that I think this would tank bad. I'm giving it a chance when it does come out. But I don't see how they can make it last.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
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Kevin A
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I think it would be funny to see it go to the box.

Star Trek (Kirk era) starts on TV and ends up as movies, Star Wars starts as movies and ends up as a TV series.

But I just can't seem to get excited about new Star Wars stuff anymore.

I don't know why, I just can't put my finger on it, there must be SOME reason.
"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Goering.

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." - Goebbels.

"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - Orwell.
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Heh heh. I like the CSI joke.

Reg, gee, I can't figure out why either. I'm so stumped on that one.

TV tends to translate to film better than film to TV. The only instance of film going to TV effectively, that I can think of, is M*A*S*H. Anybody else?
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
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Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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And MASH (the movie) was much much much better than M*A*S*H (the TV show). It was a brilliant film, IMHO, and the TV series fell just short of that. Though I love both, the movie is just much better.
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...and a few years shorter.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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The Odd Couple, but that was more stage-to-screen-to-TV. Don't get me started on Stargate SG-1.

Princess Leia: I happen to like nice men.
Han Solo: I'm a nice man.

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I like SG-1.



<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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I'm surprised that this hasn't been mentioned already....

If Kevin Smith gets Star Wars the TV show, will Bong Sabers find their way into Star Wars history
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Come on, this tv show will dissapoint no matter who produces it. Considering the direction the entire SW franchise has been taken into, do you really think this will be worth watching?
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Will it feature a laugh track?

(Jar Jar enters)
"Meessa Jar Jar Binks!"
(applause - "woo! yeah!" - Jar Jar waits the laugh track to end)
"Ah! Oh no! I stepped on some yucky yuck poo-doo!"
(laugh track - applause)
(freeze frame - credits - "Gotta love this Gungan is taped before a live audience")
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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Originally posted by: Darth Justin
Come on, this tv show will dissapoint no matter who produces it. Considering the direction the entire SW franchise has been taken into, do you really think this will be worth watching?


Well, maybe I'm alone in feeling this way... but I thought Clone Wars was fuckin' amazing. Short. But amazing.
For as much as some people claim to hate what Star Wars has become, they sure seem incapable of shutting up about it.
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No need to swear, Rebel.


Considering that AoTC was a significant improvment over TMP, and that KoToR rocks out loud, I think I'm fairly satisfied with the way that the franchise is going. As long as Lucas doesn't have total control over the series....

4

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Originally posted by: tlbauerle
What's with all the Kevin Smith hypothesizing going on? Damn it I had fads, especially in the realm of ideas. It's the lowest common denominator.


No need to swear tlbauerle. *har*har*

And what's wrong with us talking about what-ifs? At least it's not another "fanboy this/fanboy that" thread.

And nothing in the realm of ideas can be "the lowest common denominator", because at least it shows we're using our brains for something, regardless of how moot the point may be, which will always raise the concept of an idea at least a notch above many things.

People on this board really need to stop jumping down peoples throats for stupid shit.
For as much as some people claim to hate what Star Wars has become, they sure seem incapable of shutting up about it.
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"Will it feature a laugh track?"

Yes, but it will be comprised of jawas.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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Similiar to what some other shows in the past did, what if there wasn't just 'one' person running the entire season? What if each episode had a new guy with a different perspective and style. Like Kevin Smith would get an episode, and then Spielberg gets one, then Robert Rodriguez gets one, then the Alias guy gets one, ect. ect. Anyway, just a thought, albeit a possibly dumb one.
40,000 million notches away
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Originally posted by: Look Sir. Droids!
buffy did very well on tv.. much better than on film.

Yeah the film sucked big time (much like most of us are expecting the Star Wars TV show to do). Thank god Joss took another stab at the Buffyverse because Buffy became IMHO the best show ever to be created on TV.

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Personally I’d hire Ira Steven Behr, who did an amazing job running “Deep Space Nine” once upon a time. Or “Firefly’s” Tim Minear. Or “Buffy’s” Jane Espenson. And I’d drop a huge pile of cash in the laps of “Authority”/”Global Frequency” creator Warren Ellis and “Wanted” creator Mark Millar to help. Well, it’s fun to think about.

I like Herc's suggestions about who should head the project. If it will succeed, it needs someone who's an excellent story teller and I think Minear or Espenson would be great to do it. They have the experience of working on some great shows (even though Firefly was short lived) and I think could do an excellent job.
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Originally posted by: Windexed
Similiar to what some other shows in the past did, what if there wasn't just 'one' person running the entire season? What if each episode had a new guy with a different perspective and style. Like Kevin Smith would get an episode, and then Spielberg gets one, then Robert Rodriguez gets one, then the Alias guy gets one, ect. ect. Anyway, just a thought, albeit a possibly dumb one.


This would be a pretty cool way to do it. Have one group of writers develop the stories and have different directors take it from there. Much like Band of Brothers (though without the standard of quality). I liked having the different perspectives in BoB. That could work pretty nicely in a Star Wars setting. Focus on a different person each episode. Hmm... I like it.

Rebel Rouser, you are not the only one who liked Clone Wars animated. I loved it and can't wait for the third season this spring.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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Thank you, Bossk. That's what I was thinking too, that there'd be a set team of writers that would come up with the general framework of the story, characters, ect - but then each director would get to do their own episode within that framework. I guess sort of like Amazing Stories, but with a lot more continuity. I'm sure that Star Wars is huge enough commodity that virtually anyone would jump at the chance to direct an episode, and on the other side, what's better than having a big name like Kevin Smith onboard? - having multiple big names onboard!
40,000 million notches away
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Having Kevin Smith on board would be cool, but I think he wouldn't want to do some big action sequence. Could you see him directing (and co writing) an episode revolving around some big Imperial Senate debate? Smith is the king of dialogue and I think he'd need to do something with a limited setting like a Senate sort of scene.

Senator 1 - "The Empire cannot stand for this sort of rebellion! We must stop them!"
Senator 2 - "Yo! I know what you need! A fatty, boom-batty blunt! Yo!"

Sorry, just hadda.

Focus on my idea and not on my example.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
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I know Smith's a "fan" and all, but I don't think this is good news. For one thing, I don't like his movies AT ALL ... even if I did, his style is certainly not Star Wars. For another, I remember reading a gushing review he wrote about Attack of the Clones when he caught a preview. He played into Lucas' official line with Phantom Menace, too ... saying that it was a fine film and the reason it was being critically slaughtered was because it was a children's movie and he'd "grown up."

To be honest, I'd highly doubt any Star Wars TV effort would be sustainable, even if Peter Jackson or James Cameron was at the wheel. Been there, done that with the Ewok TV movies.