The Star Wars: Episode VII casting speculation game continues. The Hollywood Reporter says that Michael Fassbender, Adam Driver and Hugo Weaving are the latest to be in the mix.
There join a list that includes:
Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael B. Jordan, Jack O’Connell, Alex Pettyfer, Saoirse Ronan and Sullivan Stapleton . Those are only the names that leaked out. So far Ronan has said she is out.
Only yesterday it was revealed that Breaking Bad‘s Jesse Plemons was meeting with director J.J. Abrams about a role.
The project has changed significantly since Oscar winner Michael Arndt left Episode VII last fall, with duties taken up by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
According to multiple insiders, the reason for the parting of ways was not due to timeframe , as many have stated, but rather due to a difference in opinion of which characters to focus on.
According to The Hollywood Reporter:
“Arndt is said to have focused on the offspring of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), with the original trilogy heroes taking on supporting roles. Abrams, however, wanted Episode VII to focus on the classic trio of characters, so audiences could have one more chance to enjoy them before a fitting send-off. The new characters, the offspring, will now be in supporting roles, according to these sources, and take center stage in Episode VIII and IX. Some characters have disappeared from the Arndt script and new ones are being drafted.”
So with Abrams and Kasdan now overhauling the script, it seems that many of the actors who had met and auditioned have been crossed off for various reasons.
They cite as an example Tye Sheridan (Mud), sources say that at this stage, there is no need for such young actors and so Sheridan will not be involved.
In another case, one part that was initially a 20-year old male is now being rewritten to be a 40-year old.
According to many sources, Abrams is casting a wide, wide net and meeting with “everyone.”
Abrams has continued meeting with actors while the new script is taking shape. According to sources, he met with Fassbender in December and Driver is being eyed for a role.
While most names come with no role attached, Hugo Weaving’s does. Weaving, according to two sources, met for a part to play an Imperial commander.
The site adds that the newest bit to surface this week is that Abrams and Lucasfilm are now searching for a 20-something female actress who is either of mixed race or black. The rumor is that Obi-Wan Kenobi had a daughter or granddaughter.
What do you think? Can Weaving’s Character be Thrawn or a similar type character?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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