What If? My Dream Directors for Star Wars: Episode VII

by James Herrera

​Before starting this article, I just want everyone to know: I love Star Wars! Some of them I love more
than others, but I don’t hate a single Star Wars movie. My top three Star Wars movies are The Empire
Strikes Back, The Last Jedi, and Revenge of the Sith. As you can see, every single trilogy is represented.
I didn’t plan it that way — it’s just that these three movies stick out to me whenever I watch them. So
once again, let me just say: I love Star Wars, and I don’t hate a single movie.

​Now… let’s journey back to before the sequel trilogy came out, before we knew who would be
directing or what the movies would even be about. This was a fun time for me, because I was just
curious who would be picked to direct Star Wars: Episode VII. I believe J.J. Abrams had an impossible
task, and I feel he succeeded with The Force Awakens. He brought Star Wars back. A whole new
generation got to see “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” and inch forward in their seats as
the fanfare began. It was such a great time.
But here’s who I think would also have done a great job with Episode VII. I’m going to start with my
number 5 choice and work my way up to number 1. Here we go — and go easy on me.

Number 5: Guillermo del Toro

At this point he was hot off a great string of movies, including Pan’s Labyrinth. His artistic direction
can’t be talked about enough. All his movies look insanely beautiful, and his characters are rich with
layers and vulnerability. I mean, who would have believed a movie about a guy who looks like a devil
with a giant rock hand could carry so much emotion — and be that good while doing it? Hellboy 1 and
2 are incredible. So he was one of my early picks for Star Wars. I felt he would have brought a look and
feel that was fresh for audiences. The characters would have had complexity and been thought out
down to the smallest detail. And I’m not going to lie — seeing a giant space battle from his perspective
would have been absolutely insane.

Number 4: David Fincher

I’m a huge David Fincher fan, and I caught him later in his career. The first film I saw by him was Alien
3, not realizing at the time that he was the one who directed it. I remember not really liking it and
feeling like it didn’t belong. (This was before I knew about everything he had to go through to make the
movie, and how to this day he disowns it as not really his.) The movie that made me aware of him was
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is still in my top 5 movies of all time. Such a beautiful
film, with stunning visuals and insane VFX. Then I went back and watched Fight Club and Zodiac, and 
 saw The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on opening day.
I felt his visual style would have been a shift, like del Toro’s, but his would have had a sleek, cool look.
Something different for Star Wars. And his use of VFX would have been absolutely insane. I think a
Star Wars movie from him would have been the greatest-looking movie ever made. His characters are
also so rich with depth that you genuinely feel you’ve been on a journey with them by the time the
movie’s over. Star Wars needed that for its first sequel film, and I feel he would have delivered. Plus,
Kathleen Kennedy produced The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and she has said she enjoyed the
experience and trusted Fincher — so I felt he was a sure bet for the part. And I still would love to see a
Star Wars movie from him.

Number 3: Rian Johnson

Okay, don’t throw anything at me just yet. I know he ended up directing a Star Wars movie. But when
all this discussion was going around, I thought he would have been a great choice. He writes and directs
his own films, and his scripts are always good, witty, and fun. And yes, he can get dark and make you
feel uncomfortable and uneasy while watching. I felt his style was perfect for Star Wars, and I would
have loved to see what he would have done with the first entry in the sequel trilogy. I know for a fact he
would have mapped out an entire story and arc for the leads and set things up well for the next director
to come in. I also would have been on board if he had written all three movies. From Brick to The
Brothers Bloom to Looper, the leaps he made with each film were huge, and he nailed all three. Plus, he
directed one of the greatest episodes of Breaking Bad — still ranked as one of the best episodes in
television history. I felt he was a good pick. So I was very happy when he got Episode VIII.

Number 2: Matthew Vaughn

When I first saw the movie poster for Stardust, I thought it was going to be a corny, bad movie. When I
finally watched it, I was blown away. It was a great, action-packed, adorable fantasy adventure that I
feel not enough people saw. I absolutely loved it, and I compare it to The Princess Bride, which is also
an incredible movie. So when he followed it up with Kick-Ass — a foul-mouthed, violent movie — I
was skeptical. I loved the feel of Stardust, and Kick-Ass felt like it wouldn’t work. But nope, that movie
was amazing. I realized this director could do any genre, and do it well. Which is why I had no issue
with him taking on X-Men: First Class. And yep, I wasn’t disappointed at all.
So, saying all that — he was definitely a pick for Star Wars. I felt his action sequences were kick-ass
(wink wink), and they never felt over the top. It felt like he knew exactly where to place the camera for
those sequences. So a lightsaber duel from him would have looked really unique and intense. The blend
of different genres in Star Wars would also have been executed perfectly. Star Wars movies do so much
during their runtime — they have to wow you, make you think, and deliver a great story all at once.
Action, adventure, love story, good vs. evil, all of it. And I think Matthew Vaughn would have
delivered all of that and more. I remember when he stepped away from X-Men: Days of Future Past and
I got really excited, thinking he was going to do Episode VII. But nope — Bryan Singer just stepped inand kicked him out. Ohhh well.

​Number 1: Brad Bird

I mean, come on… The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost
Protocol! That alone should convince you. He was the absolute best choice for Star Wars: Episode VII.
He knew how to write, he knew how to direct, and he knew action. He made a rat running between
walls and cooking dinner exciting as hell. And the Dubai sequence in Ghost Protocol is, to this day,
edge-of-your-seat stuff.

​“Star Wars in his hands would have reached heights we had never seen before.”

He would have given us exciting set pieces alongside great character moments. We could have gotten
the long-awaited reunion of Han, Luke, and Leia — and he would have made it work without it being a hollow fan-service moment. The struggles and vulnerable moments he would have created for the characters might have surpassed even The Empire Strikes Back. Yeah, I said that. After each of his movies, when it’s over you want to know more about the characters — you’re dying to know what happens next. That’s great storytelling, and that’s great directing. I was absolutely certain he would get Episode VII. Instead, he went off to make Tomorrowland, which I had such high hopes for but was completely disappointed by. Still, in my mind, I think about the what-if. What if Brad Bird had directed Episode VII? What would it have been? We’ll never know — but it’s a nice thought.