EPISODE VII: LAWRENCE KASDAN - A POTENTIAL DIRECTING CANDIDATE?

No stranger to STAR WARS, Lawrence Kasdan on the EMPIRE set in 1979, with Lucas and Hamill.

No official announcements have yet been made on the next director to join the STAR WARS saga- most likely it'll be Christmas time- but Joe Johnston seems to be the favourite choice so far. But someone who shouldn't be overlooked as a potential visualist, despite being an outside source in comparison to all the successive wunderkinds that have emulated him, is Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK from Lucas's storyline and gave it the enduring high quality that makes it the worldwide fan favourite movie it still is all these years on. He also wrote the RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK screenplay and helped give the world Indiana Jones. He's been a loyal friend to the LUCASFILM family over the years, has always admired Lucas, Spielberg and co. and he's a top director of action (the cult western favourite SILVERADO), has experienced horror and sci-fi with lots of special effects (Stephen King's DREAMCATCHER) and is a master of strong character drama (BODY HEAT and GRAND CANYON). He's only just come back to the directing fold recently after a long gap, but I think Kasdan, with John Knoll and a strong effects team co-ordinating alongside him, would be a terrific pair of hands for the first film of the next trilogy, especially handling the seasoned original core characters (particularly Han Solo) if they do indeed return...