Star Wars: a long slow walk in a galaxy far, far away

I have an uneasy feeling that it’s going to be a very long three years waiting for the new Star Wars movie to hit the theatres.

Not, I should hasten to add, because I am such an ardent fan of the “galaxy far, far away” that the idea of waiting even another day for the next instalment in George Lucas’s Disney’s franchise is more than my R2D2-loving heart can bear.

[For the record though I do love the films, with the first three being a major landmark on my childhood journey to pop culture obsessiveness; I am just not manically obsessed with them.]

Rather, it’s the fact that the speculation unleashed by the announcement that there would be not just one more film, but three, thanks to the eagerness of C-3PO’s new owner to make the most of their purchase, is threatening to bury us all under an avalanche of “what ifs”, “maybes” and “yes quite possibly but only over Jar Jar Binks dead body”.

Now, I have no issue with fans of any franchise getting excited about what’s up next for characters and places they love, and wondering endlessly about what form it could take.

It’s one of the delicious perks of fandom and one I love to indulge from time to time too.

And frankly a life where you cease to be excited by the possibilities that lie in wait is no life at all, and you might as well strap yourself to a chair made of poisonous iron stakes and watching Jar Jar Binks on an endless loop till you die. (Yes that is not a good thing for any J. J. B. aficionados out there.)

So I totally get the enthusiasm and excitement of the “true believer” Star Wars fans, salivating at the prospect of older and wiser versions Luke, Leia and Han and goodness knows who else, storming back in cinemas in just three years time.

Go for broke guys and gals and may the speculative Force be with you.

Just remember to pace yourselves.

Though three years seems like a mere hop, skip and an interstellar jump away, it is a reasonably long period of time, and going too hard too early may cause a droid or two to burn out before their time.

This rumination on the feverish nature of social media-fueled modern fandom was triggered by the announcement here and here (and on a thousand other sites) that talented screenwriter Michael Arndt, who has blessed us with Little Miss Sunshine (for which he won an Oscar) and Toy Story 3 (for which he was nominated for an Oscar), has supposedly already written a 40-50 page treatment for Star Wars: episode 7.

Apparently Arndt was given the honour of giving first breath to the much-anticipated next instalment to life six months before the announcement that Disney was Darth’s new master was made, and he is already hard at work on penning what will no doubt be a clever, intelligent and thoroughly worthy script.

While writing the treatment, which has not been officially confirmed by either Disney, Lucasfilm, or Arndt himself, doesn’t guarantee him a gig working on the screenplay, the reports, if verified, would seem to make him a shoo-in for the job everyone in Hollywood is after.

The fact though that no one can absolutely verify Arndt’s involvement speaks volumes about the fever pitch quality of the aforementioned speculation, and whether everyone is getting themselves in a frenzy about something that may not turn out to be true after all. (Although the fact that everyone has gone into “no comment” would seem to be suggest it is completely and utterly true, and he is indeed the scribe droid we are looking for.)

Wonder and ponder all you want my dear fellow pop culture enthusiasts but perhaps we should all just kick back just a little and waiting for the information to find us.

2015 will come soon enough trust me.*

* and yes, yes I know, by featuring the information about Arndt, I am adding to the very information frenzy I remarked upon. The irony is not lost on me, trust me.

Love this take on the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm by Jeremy Jahns!