I’m not a huge movie-goer. (Having kids will do that to you.) But I am a big fan of the Star Trek franchise (my favorites being Next Generation and Star Trek VI), and I was very, very happy with how Abrams rebotted that series. He showed the perfect blend of deference to the spirit of the source material and willingness to craete something truly independent and new. I think this is an incredibly good precedent for the guy who now has the chance of rescuing my once-upon-a-time most-beloved franchise ever from the evil clutches of an amoral tyrant. I’m still afraid to get my hopes up too much, but it’s almost like having a possibility to get a piece of my childhood back. I’m psyched.

The Wrap initially broke the news. Vulture quickly weighed in with a list of 7 things to expect from an Abrams’ Star Wars. The list includes some items (like big monsters and father-child relationships) that are a natural fit with the Star Wars universe and others that aren’t, necessarily, but certainly won’t hurt (mysterious boxes and people falling through / from the sky are apparently trademarks). (Read more about JJ Abrams and his work on Wikipedia or IMDB.)

The Wrap also mentions that the script writer for Star Wars VII is Michael Arndt (wiki, IMDB). I never watched Little Miss Sunshine,  but he proved with Toy Story 3 that he can enter a big franchise late and still leave his mark (for better). (I was pleased with both Brave and Hunger Games as well.) As far as I can tell, this is starting to look like a dream team, and my excitement level is slowly–very, very cautiously–continuing to rise.