If you've seen my fancasts or my comments, you probably know already, that I am a huge Star Wars fan.
I am very excited to see this new trilogy, and I think Abrams is going to do a great job. But I can't help but wonder, how it would've been if George Lucas had passed the franchise on 20 years ago. No doubt the plot would be completely different than it is now.
The obvious stories would be take from the popular Thrawn trilogy. Episode VII would "Heir to the Empire", Episode VIII would be "Dark Force Rising" and Episode IX would be "The Last Command".
WARNING: There will be spoilers for you people who haven't read the books.
James Cameron as the Director
I read that when James Cameron saw "A New Hope" (originally just known as "Star Wars"), he quit his job so he could pursue a job in the film industry. Now I love Star Wars, but it wouldn't get me to quit a job, no matter how bad the job is.
I think if Cameron wasn't fully committed to make the Avatar sequels, he would've taken the Episode 7 job instead of Abrams. I think if Lucas had approached Cameron after he made Terminator 2, He (Cameron) would've accepted the job.
And I think the Timothy Zahn books would've been adapted to big screen, which in my opinion would've been great. I believed Cameron would've made the Thrawn story more action packed without leaving out the important dialogue moments and he probably could get a lot more out of the crew than Lucas could.
Gilbert Taylor as the Cinematographer
John Williams as the Composer
Now on to the cast...
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa-Solo
Harrison Ford as Han Solo
Billy Dee-Williams as Lando Calrissian
Sam Elliot as Garm Bel Iblis
Linda Hamilton as Mara Jade
Now if you don't know who Mara Jade is and if you don't care about spoilers, I will tell you.
Mara was once the Emperors Hand sent around the galaxy to do his will. Mara could hear the Emperor from anywhere in the galaxy. Mara was sent to Jabba's Palace to make sure Luke died, she was denied to see Luke's execution by Jabba, so she couldn't be there to make sure Luke was dead. Later on the Emperor dies, and along with it, the power that she felt made her special.
She believes Luke killed the Emperor, and therefore Luke is to blame. She hates him with an extreme passion, but over time he grows on her. And then later on they get married. Although they get married in the "Hand of the Thrawn" trilogy (which is 10 years later), I get the feeling they will move that love story a bit further in the movies.
If you've seen Terminator 2, you understand why Linda is the choice.
Joaquim De Almeida as Talon Karrde
Talon Karrde quickly became one of my favorite characters. He has a bit more honor than most scoundrels, he believes very much in being a good host, which is the complete opposite of someone like Jabba the Hutt.
Karrdes Organization took over after Jabba's death. Although Karrde is nothing like Jabba the Hutt, he is still in a lot of ways kind of a mercenary. He wants very much to make money, but he doesn't make money making decisions without looking at all angles.
He takes Mara under his wing and is grooming her to be his successor. They have a really tight bond.
I saw Joaquim De Almeida in the movie "Desperado" and I thought he had a very calm boss presence in that movie, he would've been a great addition to the cast.
James Spader as Grand Admiral Thrawn
Thrawn is one of the most dangerous villains in Star Wars history, and the amazing part about it is, he isn't dangerous because he has the force (which he doesn't), he isn't dangerous because of his combat skills, but he is dangerous because of his brilliant mind. He understands his opponents psyche just by looking at their art.
Some part of me would be scared to have Cameron directing, because I believe Cameron would want Arnold Schwarzenegger as Thrawn, but another part of me wouldn't see that as bad thing as long as Cameron was directing. But I think even Cameron understands that even the "Terminator" has limits.
I don't know who Cameron would really choose. But for me personally, I would like to see Spader play Thrawn. He could pull off a Cold character like Thrawn with such charisma. I believe Spader could pull of Thrawn with just Half-assed performance.
So what do you guys think? Like it, Love it, or just meh? Sound off in the usual spot below.