As we creep towards the time when J.J. Abrams will reluctantly have to reveal exactly who is appearing in Star Wars: Episode VII, the casting rumours and apparently leaked studio wish lists are continuing to taunt(aun) us. With Adam Driver in talks to be the villain, Variety reports that John Boyega, Ed Speleers, Matthew James Thomas, Ray Fisher and the previously talked up Jesse Plemons are high on the list to play one of the heroes.
Naturally, neither Disney nor Abrams have gone on the record about the potential casting choices, so for now we urge you to keep the Star Wars** Rumour Alert klaxon close to hand for now. Boyega, of course, is no stranger to aliens after Attack The Block, while Speleers has most recently been in Downton Abbey. Thomas has worked in TV and on the stage, and had a role in Billy Elliot. Fisher is more of an unknown. And Plemons? He should be familiar from the likes of Breaking Bad, Friday Night Lights and Battleship.
So, who will this hero be? Do you really expect an answer to that? According to Variety, he’s a Jedi apprentice, and further digging on the trade magazine’s part points to Abrams and fellow writer Lawrence Kasdan moving the focus of the script from the offspring of Luke (Mark Hamill), Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han (Harrison Ford) and towards a more diverse bunch. From the sounds of it, the new Star Wars will start shooting a little later than thought, with the current estimate simply put at later this year. It’s still on track for that December 18, 2015 release date, however.