As the seventh movie in the "Star Wars" saga "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" approaches its release, a surprising trivia has surfaced.
According to Deadline, Steven Spielberg ("E.T.") has revealed to 60 minutes newsmag that he believes J.J. Abrams was the best man to direct "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." He said that when producer Kathy Kennedy, whom he had worked with on projects like "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" and "Jurassic Park" was looking for a director for the seventh "Star Wars" film, Spielberg got the chance to tell the producer, "Kathy, there's only one director that really should undertake this daunting, epic task, and that's J.J. Abrams."
According to Collider, Abrams though reportedly did not feel he could direct a movie as big as "Star Wars" with all the heavy expectations from the loyal fans of the saga. He was said to have initially passed on the offer, but his successful stewardship of the "Star Trek" series must have convinced Spielberg that he was the perfect fit for "The Force Awakens." Moreover, Abrams has looked at Spielberg like a mentor over the years, growing up being influenced by his films. Spielberg influence can be seen in Abram's "Super 8."
He looked so honored to have been trusted with the project. In an interview with CBS News' Bill Whitaker, according to Deadline, Abrams has revealed how much of a "Star Wars" fan boy he is but he could not let it get in the way. He said, "I had feelings of 'Holy, what the ... I can't believe I'm here' ... constantly happening and I had to suppress that and say, 'Yep, OK, let's do it' ... because the job was not to be a wide-eyed fan boy. The job was to be director of the movie."
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens in theaters next week.
