J.J. Abrams Says He’ll ‘Honor’ Original ‘Star Wars’ Films, But Not Kiss Their Ass

There are obviously a great many people out there who would love it if director J.J. Abrams could somehow recapture the magic of the original Star Wars trilogy in Episode VII. However, many of us also recognize that going backwards is impossible. So, if nothing else, we'd settle for a Star Wars film devoid of intergalactic bureaucracies, stiff dialogue, and characters like you-know-who.

That's something Abrams might be able to deliver. On Saturday,  Abrams was at the Produced By Conference, and here's what he had to say about the overall approach he plans to take with the new Star Wars:

It is so massive and so important to people. I think the key to moving forward on something like this is honoring but not revering what came before. There's that deep feeling of infinite possibilities that I think was the ultimate thing I thought when I first saw Star Wars which I would—and probably will—give my left arm to try and come close to again.

Yeah, it sounds to me like Star Wars is in good hands.

Of course, there is one old Star Wars tradition that Abrams is going forced to honor: filming in London. The deal to film Episode VII in London like all the other instalments of the Star Wars franchise was in place before Abrams agreed to take the project on. So, despite the fact that he would prefer to shoot the film in Hollywood, Abrams will be packing up the fam and moving to the UK in January 2014, when filming is scheduled to begin.