We know that Lucasfilm and Disney have narrowed down their picks for a director of Star Wars: Episode VII to just “a couple” of choices. One of them may be Colin Trevellow. But who might be filling the other spots on the shortlist? Bleeding Cool seems to think that Brenda Chapman, who initated Pixar’s Brave and served as director on the project before being replaced, might be a candidate.
The site points out that the director was hired by Lucasfilm back in August to work on a mystery project, a time when the new Star Wars trilogy was already being worked on and being discussed with others.
But recently, in response to a tweet from a fan, Chapman may have hinted that the “mystery project” may actually be Episode VII.
@y6y___ Thanks. We will just have to wait and see what happens :)
— Brenda Chapman (@brenda_chapman) November 13, 2012
Of course, Chapman may just being coy here. Lots of folks have been over the last two weeks. Bleeding Cool points out that Lucasfilm had been developing an animated feature about fairies and that she could have been called in to consult on that. A post from Chapman’s own blog at the time seems to back that possibility up too –
As some of you seem to already know (ah, the marvel of technology), I’ve started consulting for Lucasfilm Animation. I am not directing. This was a wonderful opportunity to work with someone whom I’ve admired from a distance in the film industry for years: Kathleen Kennedy. I was completely surprised and honored when she asked me to work with her on this particular project – which I am not at liberty to discuss. (Sorry, I know you wanna know, but I just can’t tell ya.) I feel very privileged to have this opportunity, even for a short time.
Of course, we could split the difference as it were, and suggest that perhaps Chapman was called in to meet with Michael Arndt, George Lucas and perhaps one or two others to help workshop ideas for the new trilogy. That would certainly link up with the collaborative way of working at her former employer Pixar, even if her butting heads with others may have been a factor in her removal from Brave.
