Zack Snyder Denies 'Star Wars' Samurai Movie Report [Updated]
UPDATE: As expected, Zack Snyder's representatives told The Hollywood Reporter the following information is untrue. The original story follows with the addendum.
As Zack Snyder is busy finishing a film in the DC Universe, news has now been revealed he'll move over to the Star Wars universe soon after. Though the director of 300 and Watchmen won't be directing Star Wars Episode VII, Vulture reports he's quietly developing a standalone Star Wars film inspired by Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. His film would featuring a group of Jedi warriors going on a mission. Read more after the jump.
Vulture reported on this surprising, and interesting development.
According to their sources, Snyder's film will not be a numbered Star Wars episode and would be made sometime after Star Wars Episode VII. It would also take place in that timeline, post-Return of the Jedi. This marks the third name rumored to be working on a Star Wars film that is not one of the traditional stories. (Simon Kinberg and Lawrence Kasdan before him.) Meanwhile, we still don't have a director named for Episode VII.
Of course, LucasFilm wouldn't confirm to Vulture that this Snyder news is true, but the site wouldn't report this unless they had a pretty good source. Disney CEO Bob Iger did say they wanted to release a new Star Wars film every two years after Episode VII, and it seems like the depth of that statement is still far from being understood.
In Star Wars Episode IV, Obi-Wan Kenobi first described the Jedi as almost samurai type warriors with their lightsabers. (George Lucas has always acknowledged the Kurosawa influence on Star Wars, too, with The Hidden Fortress being a particular inspiration.)
And while the prequel trilogy gave only a glimpse of that Jedi past, the Clone Wars cartoon has been much more specific about showing the Jedi in their element. If this is all true, it'll be interesting to see not only a group of Jedi on the prowl, but how the Jedi order has been rebuilt after the events of Return of the Jedi. Will that be something that takes place in Episode VII? How will the two relate?
This is happening friends. Star Wars is about to get bigger than we'd ever expected. What do you think about an officially licensed, Zack Snyder directed samurai Star Wars movie?
UPDATE: Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Snyder's people released the following statement:
While he is super flattered because he is a huge fan, Zack is not involved in any way with the new Star Wars. He is currently in post on his two films, Man of Steel and 300: Battle of Artemisia.
That means all Star Wars movies, Episodes, Spinoffs etc. Then again, what were they going to do, confirm it? That literally never happens.