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Now that the deal's been done and officially announced, Lucasfilm boss and Star Wars: Episode
VII producer Kathleen Kennedy has gone on record about how she won over a reluctant
J.J. Abrams to direct the next Star Wars movie.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kennedy recalled meeting Abrams, who'd already
publicly said he didn't want to helm Episode VII, at his production office at Bad Robot
to change his mind.
Kennedy summed up her sales pitch as "Please do Star Wars," and noted that Abrams was "flipping
out" when she told him that Oscar winner Michael Arndt (who wrote Toy Story 3) was scripting
Episode VII and that Empire Strikes Back writer Lawrence Kasdan was aboard as a consultant.
"I learned firsthand how incredible and persuasive she is," said Abrams.
Their first meeting came in late December and lasted for hours, but it wasn't until
January 25 that the deal was finally closed.
Apparently, JJ's main hesitation was caused by how daunting the prospect of stepping into
the Star Wars universe is -- which is understandable.
But Abrams had other concerns beyond Star Wars, namely his family, his many TV producing
commitments and, of course, that other huge sci-fi franchise he took over, Star Trek.
"The thing about any pre-existing franchise -- I'd sort of done that," he says. "But when
I met with Kathy, it was suddenly very tantalizing."
One thing that's still not quite set in stone is Episode VII's 2015 release date, which
might get pushed depending on how the project develops.
"Our goal is to move as quickly as we can, and we'll see what happens," explained Kennedy.
"The timetable we care about is getting the story."
For more on all things Star Wars, stay tuned to IGN.