Executive producer Kathleen Kennedy announces the return of Williams as a composer and shares updates on the latest 'Star Wars' installment.
- Jul 29, 2013
AceShowbiz - Latest tidbits of "Star Wars Episode 7" have been offered by Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm who serves as co-producer alongside the film's director J.J. Abrams and the creator George Lucas. Speaking at Star Wars Celebration in Essen, Germany, she revealed what the newest chapter in the film series would focus on.
"The story and characters are all we're talking about right now," said Kennedy during the Saturday panel with Warwick Davis as the host. The head of the Disney-owned studio continued explaining, "We have an amazing team at ILM, who can create fantastic effects, but if we don't have a great story and characters, the effects mean nothing."
"I do think making huge popular culture - and I've had the good fortune to be a part of a lot - it is really hard to do and get right," she added. "And if you don't spend the time you need on developing characters, and finding stories, complicated stories, the audience gets tired because they think they're seeing the same thing again and again."
The upcoming film will combine "real locations and special effects," Kennedy said. "It's using model makers, it's using real droids. It's taking advantage of artwork that you actually can touch and feel. And we want to do that in combination with CG effects," she elaborated.
Kennedy also took the opportunity to make another big announcement. John Williams, the man behind the music of all previous six titles in the franchise, will compose music again for the next "Star Wars".
"Of course, I haven't seen the script," the composer says in a clip posted on the "Star Wars" website. "The story is still unknown to me, the new story. But I can't imagine that there will not be some references to the existing stories that we know that would necessitate, and make appropriate, the use of some of the earlier themes."
