Star Wars Bits: Joe Carnahan Endorses Fan Filmmakers For SW Job, Rian Johnson Comments, Galactic Empire Responds To White House, Princess Leia Finally Gets X-Wing License

After a day of Zack Snyder Samurai Star Wars talk, it's back to your regularly scheduled bits. After the jump, read about the following interesting goings on in the Star Wars Universe:

Since he's joined Twitter, director Joe Carnahan has become one of the internet's go to personalities for intelligent and innovative opinions on the world of movies. On Monday, Carnahan presented a few possible Star Wars Episode VII directors that no one has seemed to think of:

The two filmmakers are Ryan Wieber (@RyanWieber) and Michael "Dorkman" Scott (@DorkmanScott). The pair have been making high quality Star Wars lightsaber battles for years, garnering millions of views on YouTube and even some national exposure in the form of a Weezer video. Carnahan's hypothesis is that the pair would bring the one thing LucasFilm has to deliver in choosing a new director:

He also said the following of the Ryan vs. Dorkman series:

Thanks to /Film reader Kyle G for the heads up.

While Wieber and Scott probably don't have a chance at directing Star Wars Episode VII, one man who probably has a chance is Rian Johnson. The Looper director was asked by the Digital Spy about the possibility and he said something I think we wish all filmmakers would say:

I don't think I'm on those sorts of lists. On the one hand, it's Star Wars, it would be very hard to say no to. On the other hand, for me, I'm really enjoying just writing my own stuff, and right now that's what I'm doing, I'm writing another original screenplay now, and we'll figure out how to get it made.

Earlier this week, there was major news that the White House acknowledged an online petition to create a Death Star. In response to that statement, the Galactic Empire (I thought that didn't exist anymore?) released its own statement on Star Wars.com. Here's a piece:

The overwhelming military superiority of the Galactic Empire has been confirmed once again by the recent announcement by the President of the United States that his nation would not attempt to build a Death Star, despite the bellicose demands of the people of his tiny, aggressive planet. "It is doubtless that such a technological terror in the hands of so primitive a world would be used to upset the peace and sanctity of the citizens of the Galactic Empire," said Governor Wilhuff Tarkin of the Outer Rim Territories. "Such destructive power can only be wielded to protect and defend by so enlightened a leader as Emperor Palpatine."

Head to the site to read more.

Brian Wood is currently writing Dark Horse's brand new Star Wars comic book, set around the time of the original trilogy, and one of its most innovative chances to Star Wars lore is that it makes Princess Leia an X-Wing fighter. He explained the decision to Newsarama (via IO9):

Leia spends a LOT of time in an X-Wing here, as a pilot equal in stature to Wedge and Luke, and close in skill. If there's anything "controversial" in what people already know about my story, its this idea that Leia is a fighter pilot. That she ISN'T one, actually, since we've never seen her doing it. I simply applied logic to the situation: if we, here, learn to drive at age 16, why wouldn't someone in Star Wars learn how to fly as a coming of age thing? Luke did, as a farm boy. Wedge did, working his parent's gas station. Why not Leia, a daughter of privilege? She can handle firearms, she basically takes over her own escape from the Death Star. She survives torture. She BEATS torture, actually. Later we see her on speeder bikes, fixing the Falcon, shooting more dudes, and so on. It's almost insulting to suggest she can't fly an X-Wing, the Rebellion's fighter of choice.

Finally, The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force, has now been released as an eBook. Read more at Star Wars.com