![Star Wars Episode VIII 8 Alfonso Cuaron Simon Pegg Star Wars Rumors: Alfonso Cuarón Directing Episode 8? Simon Pegg Joining Cast? [UPDATED]](http://cdn1.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Star-Wars-Episode-VIII-8-Alfonso-Cuaron-Simon-Pegg.jpg "Star Wars Episode VIII 8 Alfonso Cuaron Simon Pegg")
[UPDATE: Simon Pegg Denies this rumor. Scroll down for Update.]
Another day brings yet another Star Wars update. While we’ve been having fun imagining Star Wars spin-off films we want to see – or debating whether the original cast returning is a good or bad thing – the rumor mill has been busy turning out speculation about plans for the main franchise beyond J.J. Abrams’ Episode VII (currently in production) – namely, the already announced sequels, Star Wars Episode VIII & IX.
We know that Empire Strikes Back writer Lawrence Kasdan is working with X-Men writer Simon Kinsberg on the script for Episode VIII – but the question still remains: Who will direct the sequel? Much like the big debate that raged over who would helm Episode VII, we’re already getting a flurry of rumors about who will step in to lead Episode VIII
Market Saw claims that director Alfonso Cuarón is the name we should all be keeping in mind when plans for Episode VIII - and IX - start to really get going. Citing a list of potential directors they dropped in the fall of ’12, Market Saw asserts that their sources have it that Cuarón is the name being heavily favored. While there’s sure to be an “official” denial from both the studio and the director himself, let’s all remember the fervent denials about J.J. Abrams directing Episode VII that were tossed around by both sides until J.J. Abrams was suddenly directing Episode VII.That’s all to say: until we have the name of who’s directing Episode VIII in official writing, anything is possible.
More to the point: I’ll go out on a limb and bet that most fans would see this as one of the better possibilities out there.
![Alfonso Cuaron NBC Drama Star Wars Rumors: Alfonso Cuarón Directing Episode 8? Simon Pegg Joining Cast? [UPDATED]](http://cdn1.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Alfonso-Cuaron-NBC-Drama.jpg "Alfonso Cuaron NBC Drama")
The Mexican director is most famous to the masses for his contribution to the Harry Potter movie franchise with The Prisoner of Azkaban – or possibly his 1998 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. Indie movie fans know him from his cult-hit erotic drama Y Tu Mamá También, while sci-fi fans were by and large impressed with his stunning sequencing in Children of Men. This year, Cuarón will continue his bold vision of sci-fi with Gravity, a film starring Sandra Bullock mostly onscreen alone, playing an astronaut trying to make it home to Earth in a damaged spaceship.
However they came upon him, most people are happy with the results of Cuarón’s work; like his countryman Guillermo del Toro, his name gets tossed in the ring for just about every big genre project supported by his geek/film school fanbase. But having him on Star Wars would be a big victory for fans and casual viewers alike.
The presence of Lawrence Kasdan has provoked immediate speculation that Episodes 8 & 9 are going to take things down a (slightly) darker path than Episode VII; word from the filmmakers of a desire to re-capture the tone and flow of the original trilogy only further backs that idea. Cuarón took Harry Potter and made a darkly beautiful and thematically rich young adult adventure that carried considerable weight and maturity (can you tell it’s one of my favorites of the franchise?); Star Wars is well within his wheelhouse, as Children of Men - and hopefully Gravity - prove. Imagine a Star Wars battle scene filmed in a signature Cuarón one-take tracking shot… Oh yeah…
![Star Trek Into Darkness Worried Scotty 570x379 Star Wars Rumors: Alfonso Cuarón Directing Episode 8? Simon Pegg Joining Cast? [UPDATED]](http://cdn1.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Star-Trek-Into-Darkness-Worried-Scotty-570x379.jpg "Star Trek Into Darkness - Worried Scotty")
In a final update, Market Saw claims that actor Simon Pegg is joining the Star Wars franchise – though when, where, how and why remain unknown. Pegg is currently playing the iconic role of Scotty in J.J. Abrams’ rebooted Star Trek franchise – which is why any suggestion that he could be “jumping ship” to the rival Star Wars franchise (which is becoming less and less of a rivalry by the day, BTW) is probably going to set off loads of geek arguments.
UPDATE: Simon Pegg claims he has NO knowledge about this Star Wars rumor business:
Just remember: This is all RUMOR for now, but in our book the Cuarón theory is a welcome one.
No idea where this silly rumour about me attached to the new Star Wars film came from but I can confirm that it's absolute Bantha poodoo.
— Simon Pegg (@simonpegg) February 26, 2013
———
Star Wars Episode VII is aiming to be in theaters sometime in 2015. Episodes VIII & IX would presumably be released in 2018 and 2021.
Source: Market Saw
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I would support this. Children of Men is an awesome movie.
AGREED!
Children of Men one of my all time fave movies.
“Pull my finger.”
Alfonso Cuarón would be a great choice for episode VIII. And then how about Rian Johnson for episode IX?
Simon Pegg will be an adorable Ewok.
So JJ Abrams is directing Star-Trek and Star Wars. And now Pegg will be in both. there should be a law against this.
Probably!
Also, I called it (sorta)! Ive been asking what crossover talent would be palatable or interesting or funny. So far, aside from some jokes, I’ve yet to hear any good ideas, and that definitely includes putting Scotty into Star Wars. It’s glaringly inappropriate in a way. Then again, so is the JJ thing, and that may turn out to be good news, so who knows…
Peg!!! FFS please god say it isn’t so!
Prisoner of Azkaban is my personal favorite of all eight Harry Potter films in the series. Just as you said, the film was darkly beautiful and thematically rich. While not much happens in the film in terms of moving the plot forward, it was such a beautiful chapter in which the magic did not feel overly kiddish or Gothic as in the other films; the magic was an emotional connective spectrum between the joy of riding a strange new flying creature or dark as an ally becomes a dangerous werewolf under the full moon. I cannot properly explain the love I have for this film.
I am not aware of Cauron’s other film but I have heard great things. So if the middle chapter of the trilogy attempts to go a route similar of the Empire Strikes Back, I definitely believe he can deliver as a director. However this has me wondering if there would be a different direction in terms of director and screenwriters for each installment. And if J.J does a great job with Episode 7, would that affect the decision to use another director later on? I suppose there should always be a back up plan. If anything Cauron can film a standalone film which will allow him more breathing room in terms of storytelling.
Also I know the title of “Episode” is important in the franchise and useful in separating the main series from the other potential film but the title just reminds me too much of the Prequels. I was not alive during the original trilogy, so I have also known them as Episode 4-6 but I feel more comfortable calling them by their names. Am I the only who feels like this?
You’re right about the episodes. I wasn’t born during the original trilogy either, but I refer to the classics by name. While doing that, I refer to the prequels Episode I, II, and III. I just think they can’t turn back on calling it Episode VII because it would take away its meaning to continuing the saga.
I can’t stand this whole argument where most people don’t want any of the ‘Star Trek’ actors crossing into ‘Star Wars’. There are so many good sci-fi actors and actresses in ‘Star Trek’, it would be great to add one or two to ‘Star Wars’. It’s not like an actor in both movies will completely ruin the movies. My choice for the kin of Episode VII is Dane DeHaan as the main character. My choice for a girl would probably be Saoirse Ronan. Other than that, I think it would be cool if a couple ‘Star Trek’ actors crossed over. In secondary roles or smaller. Nothing big.
Yeah, I agree that there is nothing inherently wrong with some of the same actors being cast in both. It would bother me as a fan, but that is just my own subjective trip.
However, what I hope does not happen is that Lucasfilm/Disney says, “hey, we need to cast Star Wars, which is sci-fi, and hey, Star Trek is sci-fi too, so let’s just use the same cast and crew, and that’ll make it easy.” There are sooo many good directors who aren’t named JJ Abrams, as well as sooo many great actors out there who haven’t participated in Star Trek.
I just hope that they think outside of the Starbox a little. And really, all things being equal, it would be best to have the two franchises differentiated cleanly.
Starbox… isn’t that a porn flick?
Agreed. There are plenty of great actors who could be in Star Wars who have never even touched sci-fi. I just believe there’s no harm in JJ wanting to cast an actor or two from Star Trek for episode VII. He knows what he’s doing and knows he’ll cause sci-fi war by making them main protagonists or antagonists which is why they will be secondary characters.
Also, I would love to see Alfonso Cuaron direct one. Of course, this would be pending how well Abram’s VII does.. if its a huge hit, I see him coming back for a second. Also, Star Trek Into Darkness will play a role. How well he does with that sequel will give Disney a little perspective on VIII. If Abrams doesn’t return for VIII, I like Cuaron. ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’, in my opinion, was the best Harry Potter film besides ‘Deathly Hallows Pt. 2′.
Alfonso Cuaron needs to get Gravity released before I can comment on his ability to handle a Sci-Fi story. Still, he’s a talented visual director and a great storyteller so I’m sure he’d do just fine.
He directed Looper. Fantasy and Sci-fi aren’t much different.
He had absolutely nothing to do with Looper. Rian Johnson directed Looper..
I’ve never heard of Alfonso Cuarón, but if Abrams does well, I’d prefer if he stayed on for EpVIII.
As for Simon Pegg starring in EpVII, I don’t really like it. Not because he was in Star Trek, but because the type of character he normally plays doesn’t really fit with what I expect from EpVII.
That said, I know nothing of this movie, so maybe there’s a character in there that would be perfectly suited for Pegg… Only problem is, the last time they brought in a character for comic relief (which is most likely the type of character Pegg will play) we got Jar Jar friggin-Binks.
Episode VII should have a plot twist at the end revealing Jar Jar to be a Sith lord.
I like this idea, and Simon Pegg as well.
+1
The long shot idea is awesome. Given force fields and close planets and such, they could do wacky things. How about a space battle shot that moves right into a light saber battle, back into space and down through the atmosphere of a planet? Or some variation on that multi sequence action story… Done with style and skill it could be an instant classic, more impactful than most of the Matrix tricks.
Alfonso Cuarón being involved would be great imo but as for Pegg, I’m with The Avenger on that, he is a great comedic actor and that is what makes me nervous…
I didn’t care for Scotty in the new Trek, felt very forced, making him comic relief so to speak and after Jar Jar I feel that’s something SW needs to shy away from!
It’s generally accepted that comedic actors have a easier time switching to drama than vice versa. It’s all in YOUR mind.
People complained about a comedic actor playing Batman until it released and everyone loved it. It only turned into a joke again when that comedic actor left and Joel Schumacher took over directing duties.
Pegg was pretty good in Mission Impossible 3 as well as Ghost Protocol. I didn’t even find him to be too much comic relief in Star Trek from memory, besides, I always considered Scotty to be the comic relief character anyway so Pegg just continued that in a way.
Good director choice and i love pegg but id prefer he stay away from star wars he is slightly to silly
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to be the knew R2 and C3PO?
Frost should play a Hutt.
Personally I’d like to see Abrams direct Episodes 7-9 because I like the idea of a single directors vision throughout the series but if they are committed to bringing in different directors for each film Alfonso Cuaron is an inspired and fantastic choice.
I’m also a geek for the long tracking shot and I’d love to see a Jedi battle done with one.
Well said I agree
I disagree. Mostly because I never wanted JJ Abrams in the first place. But assuming that every director does a good job (ha…), I think that it is cool to differentiate these episodes, so that each has a unique feel. Well…I guess that that could backfire. But having a working filmmaking ensemble at least decreases the odds of one person messing it up all by him/herself.
Yeah, because having a single director worked SO WELL for eps I-III.
I loved Prisoners of aka an I bet Cuaron would make a great director for episode 7 i know pegg denied the rumor but then again so did abrams about directing episode 7 and so did Snyder about using Zodd as a villain, if pegg is somehow in the movie I think he’d make a great C-3PO
Notice that Pegg says he won’t be in the “new” Star Wars movie.
The “new” one is Episode 7. That doesn’t rule him out for Episodes 8 and 9 or one of the standalone stories being developed in between.
Sooo, you’re saying Ep8 & 9 are old Star Wars movies? [Squints eyes in a skeptical manner]
Come on man, what you’re suggesting is a bit of a stretch. Pegg might just be trying to throw people off, but if what he says is true, then he isn’t attached to any of the new Star Wars movies.
lol
I’m just doing what SR would do, picking apart what he said and saying “well, he could be ruling himself out of 7 but not 8 and 9!”
Speculation. Key word here.
Nope, keep Abrams for the sequel. The shift in tone between Harry Potters 2 and 3 is so drastic it makes one’s head spin. I don’t want that in my Star Wars
To be fair to Cuaron though, it wasn’t all his fault. The tone shifted drastically in the Harry Potter books too with The Prisoner Of Azkaban being noted as the darkest of the books.
In my personal opinion, based on the six films that we have seen so far, Star Wars tends to be at its best when it gets darker. Just saying.
I would prefer a change of directors after Ep VII.
Did anyone notice he used “poodoo.” instead of fodder?
That’s cause “bantha poodoo” is his geeky way of saying the rumour is bulls***. Fodder is an entirely different meaning, similar to cannon fodder.
lol what a funny line by Mr. Pegg lol
I hope that episode eight is what Empire Strikes Back was to the original trilogy (in my opinion), darker, better action, more human elements, more character depth, more interesting stakes more of a lot of things that made the original Empire great but at the same time being its own movie.
I am getting tired of rumors, just spill the beans, and say if it is confirmed or about to be confirmed, this and that. NO MORE RUMORS!
why wouldnt abrhams direct all 3 films?
“Just remember: This is all RUMOR for now”
As long as George Lucas doesn’t direct we’re golden. .D
Relevant to my interest.
Im good with this. The reason why the Originals were so good was that they kept on changing the directors in order to have a fresh take on every movie. Im a huge fan of Abrams and would like to see him direct EP 8. But im anticipating Ep 8 to be dark. Thats why Alfonso is being considered. I would like to see Spielberg for Ep 9. As for the actors, I nominate Roony Mara and Michael Fassbender to have roles.. any role!
Could be the best Star Wars of all time if Cuaron gets the job
Thanks for not saying absolutely nothing new again Screenrant.
Pretty sure Simon Pegg would have nothing to do with this, he has been seriously vocal in the past about the prequels.
Just my opinion, but the magic of the original trilogy will never be recaptured. It was just a happy accident.
I love Simon Pegg, but PLEASE, NOT in a Star Wars film. We don’t want this turning into “I’m a famous fan and therefore I’m going to get a part in the new films”. Samual Jackson was bad enough and he campaigned to be in the prequels…! Choose the right people for the roles, preferably unknowns (with the obvious exceptions of the returning original cast – fingers crossed they will sign!).
I don’t want to be taken out of a film everytime I see a ‘cameo’ by a famous Star Wars fan/geek, or someone whose worked with Abrams before…
And by the way, these rumous are getting ridiculous. Any chance the writers of these could reign it in, until we actually have some REAL NEWS?! Anyway can sit there speculating and dropping wild rumours. This is meant to be a news site isn’t it?
Alfonso Cuarón should be great in the directors chair…