The cast for “Star Wars: Episode VII” may have been officially announced, but there’s still a lot of things we need to know about the new movie. For example:
What’s The Title?
Smart money says the title for the movie — which won’t remain, “Star Wars: Episode VII” — will be revealed this summer at San Diego Comic-Con. That’s also where the rest of this news will hit, including the first public gathering of the cast.
Another Female Star?
After the fandom cried out, as if they had only cast two women in “Star Wars,” rumors started to fly that there was still one female role yet to be cast. Given that rumors also swirled around an African-American actress — Lupita Nyong’o was a frequently raised name — playing the Jedi daughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi, its possible these two rumors may be one and the same.
Regardless, there are going to be more than 13 speaking parts in the movie, which means just because they weren’t at the table read doesn’t mean there aren’t more people who will appear on screen.
What About Lando?
We previously speculated about some of the more prominent “Star Wars” actors that didn’t show up in London yesterday, including Billy Dee Williams. A tweet sent by Williams, which has since been deleted seemed to imply that the actor wasn’t even asked to return. Since then, Williams has taken to retweeting fans demanding that Lando Calrissian be included in the “Episode VII” cast.
Who Is Everyone Playing?
This has been the biggest area of speculation, bordering on crazy conspiracy theory. Daisy Ridley is sitting between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher? She must be Han and Leia’s kid, because that’s how babies are made. Adam Driver sitting by himself? He’s a bad guy!
Point is, other than the returning cast members, we have no idea who anyone is playing in the film. Again, this might be something we’ll have to wait for San Diego Comic-Con to find out more about, but with shooting starting shortly it’s entirely possible we’ll either get paparazzi photos; or preferably press shots that tell us more.
What About The Plot?
Like who everyone is playing, the basic plot will come out sooner, rather than later. We know it involves a big role for Han Solo, and some degree of generational torch passing. There’s also a strong chance this isn’t a stand-alone, so much as a set-up for a new trilogy of films.
There are some specifics we’ll get into in a moment, but suffice to say that the basic plot description may hit sometime around when filming begins. We’re not saying the beat by beat of the plot, but some germs more than we know now.
Are The Sith Back?
There’s no way the Sith aren’t back. The bad Jedis of the original trilogies have always been the big bads of the series, and we’re not going to get a “Star Wars” movie without epic lightsaber battles.
To get uber-nerdy, part of the lore is that there’s always a balance in the Force between the light and the dark — and where we left off in “Return of the Jedi,” both of the Sith that were left had died. With Luke and Leia carrying on the good side, the bad will have to come back somehow, to restore that balance.
How About The Jedi?
As mentioned, Luke and Leia are there, but will they have spent the intervening years creating a new Jedi order? Are we back to the hundreds of Force-wielders and trainees of the prequels, or something in between?
Will Anyone Mention Midichlorians?
Mentioned in “The Phantom Menace,” and never mentioned again, midichlorians are the much-maligned pieces of our DNA that give us Force powers. If anyone mentions them, we will punch the movie right in the face.
When Can We See The Movie?
December 18, 2015. Nailed it. Easy one. Next.
Okay, Fine, When Can We See A Trailer?
Again, San Diego Comic-Con is a safe bet for some footage or a teaser to be shown off. That said, we probably won’t get a full trailer until sometime around Christmas this year. This is pure speculation, by the way.
Was Kenny Baker Actually In The R2-D2 Costume?
One of the meanest jokes to come out of the table read photo was that Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 in the first few movies and will reprise his role for “Episode VII,” was stuck in the costume and shoved into a box for the table read.
We can’t definitively answer this one way or another, but we’re going to err on the side of J.J. Abrams treating his cast like human beings, and not a bunch of cattle.
What do you still need to know about “Episode VII”? Let us know in the comments below!
No Comments