Screen Junkies » Kathleen Kennedy

J.J. Abrams Turned Down ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

Wookie Johnson — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 17:02:34 +0000

When Kathleen Kennedy took the Star Wars franchise from the slippery hands of George Lucas, she recognized that she had a lot of work to do to revitalize the series. It only makes sense to bring in a creative force with experience in breathing new life into stale properties. Enter J.J. Abrams.

Who quickly exited.

The Mission: Impossible and Star Trek resuscitator recently explained to Empire his decision to turn down the Star Wars: Episode VII directing gig.

“There were the very early conversations, and I quickly said that, because of my loyalty to Star Trek and also just being a fan, I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version of those things. I declined any involvement very early on. I’d rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them.”

It was later revealed that Kennedy asked Abrams to lunch to ask if Chris Pine was dating anybody seriously. He left before coffee. (THR)

Everyone Comes To Their Damn Senses: ‘Indiana Jones 5′ Cancelled

Wookie Johnson — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:59:10 +0000

For years we‘ve been threatened with the promise of a fifth Indiana Jones film. Today, we can step out beneath that shadow of oppression. Today, is our Independence Day!

Producer Frank Marshall got to talking with Collider about the likelihood of having Harrison Ford fight Nazis in Atlantis or whatever, and though his response was fairly measured, he did make it seem highly unlikely.

“I say, for me, [Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is] the last hurrah. I know that yes, we talk about it, but there’s no idea, there’s no MacGuffin… [Lucas] isn’t [hungry to do another Indiana Jones].”

Lucas recently retired and left his role at Lucasfilm to Marshall’s wife, Kathleen Kennedy. He doesn’t seem to be working on an Indiana Jones script at this time. Let’s pray he doesn’t read my Atlantis joke above and get inspired.

‘Milli Vanilli’ Biopic Is Syncing Up

Wookie Johnson — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:49:52 +0000

Because the 4,000 specials shown on VH-1 didn’t cover the topic adequately enough, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are moving forward with a Milli Vanilli biopic.

Super-German sounding director Florian Gallenberger is attached to rewrite and direct the feature film about the disgraced pop stars. This is the first Hollywood film for Gallenberger, who has won many awards (including an Oscar) for his past works.

There’s no word on casting yet but that shouldn’t be too hard. It’s not like they need actors who can sing. Ha-cha-cha-cha!! (Deadline)