Pretty much all Star Was: Episode VII news as of late has come via Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn as of late and the same continues today as he discusses the anticipated sequel with Bloomberg.
First off, some paparazzi shots from Abu Dhabi showed some second unit photography on the film had already begun, which Horn confirmed saying, “We did some second unit work in Abu Dhabi and other places, because we have all these locations we have to film and we have to give it that Star-Warsian look.” Principal photography, however, has yet to commence.
As for the casting, Horn says, “It’s almost complete. We’re not prepared to announce it yet, but we will be very shortly,” which continues to lead me to believe we’ll have an announcement on May 4th… You know, “Star Wars Day”.
When it comes to the budget number in the headline, that’s straight from the horse’s mouth as Horn told Bloomberg, “We actually don’t even have the completed budget yet. But it will be in that range. These large, tentpole kinds of movies, on the expensive side, are in the neighborhood of $175-200 million, that kind of a number — some are more, some are less… We need to give the audience, essentially, a full meal in return for their affection and devotion and love for these properties.”
I’m not sure if I like the idea that just by spending more we’re getting more, but whatever.
There’s also a weird additional note regarding George Lucas, whom Horn refers to as a consultant, but reiterates Star Wars is now a Disney property. “George is a consultant,” Horn said. “The understanding is when he sold the company — and he did sell the company to the Walt Disney Company — so he’s very aware of that. So we now are the primary drivers behind this property. But he is a very valued person. He’s the father of all this. [Producer] Kathy [Kennedy] interacts with him, back and forth, I think.”
I love that last part, “I think.” Horn doesn’t even know, which pretty much tells me just how much of a consultant he actually is, unless Horn is being kept out of the loop as well.
And, finally, previous Star Wars films landed in May, Episode VII is set for December 18, 2015, but Horn isn’t saying that means future Star Wars films will stick to this new release pattern. “We may revert [back] — the Star Wars dates have been May — and we may revert to that at some point. But it depends on the readiness of the screenplays and where we are…we’ll see,” he said.
