Scene - Blogs - Report Zack Snyder working on Star Wars version of Seven Samurai

Zack Snyder speaks at "Man of Steel" panel at Comic-Con last summer. JORDAN STRAUSS/Invision/AP

Report: Zack Snyder working on Star Wars version of 'Seven Samurai'
Published: 1/14/2013 4:00 PM
Last Modified: 1/14/2013 4:12 PM

“Man of Steel” director Zack Snyder may not be working on “Star Wars Episode VII,” but according to a report from Vulture, he may be putting together something Star Wars-related that might excite the nerd universe just as much.

Vulture reports that Snyder is developing a movie set in the Star Wars universe that will be based loosely on the Akira Kurosawa classic “Seven Samurai,” the film upon which the western “The Magnificent Seven” is based.

For those unfamiliar with the plot of “Seven Samurai,” a farming village hires seven samurai to defend them from a group of bandits that is planning on looting it after the harvest. The story could easily fit into the Star Wars universe, with seven Jedi defending a village on a remote planet or even defending an entire planet from an evil onslaught, with light sabers replacing katanas (as long as they aren’t defending Gungans, I’ll be happy).

This won’t be the first Star Wars film influenced by the Japanese film maker. Creator George Lucas strongly admires Kurosawa’s work, and Lucas has said the original trilogy was influenced by Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress.” “Seven Samurai” is one of Lucas' favorite films, and he references it several times throughout the Star Wars franchise.

Vulture reported that Snyder’s untitled film “will not be considered part of the ‘numbered’ episodes, but rather a stand-alone film set sometime post–Episode VI events.” It will be interesting to see if the samurai/Jedi are new creations or if Snyder draws on characters from the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Either way, it’s an intriguing project that shows the Lucas-Disney deal will be reaching beyond simply new installments in the main Star Wars storyline. Disney wants to release a Star Wars film every two or three years starting with Episode VII in 2015, and with films like this in the works, it's possible they may even come at a faster rate than that.

Do you have a topic you would like the Prairie Nerds to address? Let us know at PrairieNerds@tulsaworld.com

Written by
James Royal
Staff Writer

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Matt Clayton floats between being a nerd, geek or a dork. Has an extensive collection of toys, comics and video games that would make any adult feel ashamed to call themselves a parent. Unlike most nerds, he does enjoy sports, but his favorite sport is soccer, so that really doesn't count as a sport anyway. Can quote "Clerks" at the drop of a hat and owns a soft-coated Wheaten Terrier named Will Wheaton. And no, Ewoks could not have possibly taken down the Empire with just sticks and rocks.

Nerd strengths: Zombies, Star Wars, Video games, Game of Thrones, Tech, cars, British soccer.

Micah Choquette is a self-proclaimed web geek who generally despises the term "nerd." He can hold his own in a conversation about comics or movies with the other Prairie Nerds, but his heart belongs to the internet and his soul was sold long ago to Apple. He routinely follows many of the design and development gurus of the day, soaking in their ideas and putting them to work for the 'World. He's also an avid user and abuser of Social Media, and can be found on Twitter, Facebook and yes, even Google+.

Nerd Strengths: Apple, Coffee, Google, Coffee, Code, Coffee. In that order.

Anna Codutti has been a card-carrying nerd since high school and the beloved academic team. Now merely a pub-trivia ringer, her refined nerd tastes have focused on Buffy (yep, she's still going!), Doctor Who and anything Felicia Day does. Her childhood crush was "TNG's" Wesley Crusher, but now she wants to marry "The Big Bang Theory's" evil Wil Wheaton.

Nerd Strengths: Music blog snobbery, tabletop/party game dominance, and ability to read supernatural young adult novels at lightning speed.

Michael Dambold is a comic fanatic who has been reading Marvel Comics since he was 11. He's read almost every X-Title book in existence. He thinks Jean Grey needs to stay dead. He also has an obsession with Star Trek, Stargate and MST3k. He's a literary nerd, obsessed with works by Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and Jules Verne.

Nerd strengths: Coffee chugging, X-Men & Marvel Comics, Star Trek, Stargate, X-Files, paranormal mysteries (Bigfoot, etc.), classic sci-fi TV, movies and books.

Chris Moore is not ashamed to be called a Geek. It is who he is first and foremost. While some out there hide from others that they play video games, he proudly displays his love and knowledge of the pastime. He hopes one day to have a collection of games which rivals that of a city library. To this day one of his greatest moments is that he was able to watch and record the original three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies by sheer luck.

Nerd strengths: Video games and TV.

Jason Powers is the resident geek dad. He is trying hard to raise his kids to be smart, thoughtful nerds just like his Dad raised him. He was brought up on a steady diet of Doctor Who, JRR Tolkien, Douglass Adams, Sherlock Holmes, Vertigo Comics and vintage pulp noir novels. He's been watching shows made by the BBC for so long, he sometimes has a hard time grasping American television. He still enjoys Legos a great deal.

Nerd strengths: British Science Fiction, Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes, X-files, Coffee, Zombies, Space.

James Royal can tell you what Kirby crackle is. His favorite X-Man is Nightcrawler. He owns more than two dozen Star Wars novels. He knows how much damage a magic missile does. His favorite T-shirt features the insignia of Cobra, the ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. He liked the Walking Dead before the Walking Dead was cool.

Nerd strengths: Comic books (especially Marvel), movies, Star Wars, fantasy novels, pro wrestling (does that count), 1980s cartoons and television shows, video games.

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