From Far Far Away Radio
A long time ago, in a studio office far, far away…
It is a tumultuous time for the Star Wars Fandom. Although Episode VII has been announced, information on the film has been scattered and brief. The Expanded Universe has been cut off, and Disney, Lucasfilm, and J.J. Abrams have conducted hidden casting sessions across the galaxy.
Evading the dreaded ire of fans, the producers of Episode VII have established a new secret meeting of the cast in the capitol of a European Island.
The director, J.J. Abrams, obsessed with finding young, new actors, has dispatched the script and announced the cast, sending ripples through the Force and into the far reaches of space….
On April 29, 2014, Lucasfilm announced that…
The cast for Star Wars: Episode VII is now complete.
And, gathered together in London for a full reading of the Episode VII script.
Based on the Official Announcement from Starwars.com, here’s the cast:
- New Cast:
- John Boyega
- Daisy Ridley
- Adam Driver
- Oscar Isaac
- Andy Serkis
- Domhnall Gleeson
- Max von Sydow
- Returning Cast:
- Harrison Ford
- Carrie Fisher
- Mark Hamill
- Anthony Daniels
- Peter Mayhew
- Kenny Baker
(For more info on the actors, here’s a great overview from IGN.)
What We Learn From The Announcement
- There is a complete screenplay. (I am still excited and hopeful that Lawrence Kasdan can bring some of the gravitas and fun of Empire Strikes Back into the new film)
-
An inevitable destiny has been set in motion, and actual filming will begin soon.
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Though this has been known for a while, it confirms the new film will feature the main cast of the Original Trilogy. What the past thirty years have brought for Leia, Han, Luke, Chewbacca, C3-P0, and R2-D2, however, remains unknown.
Always in motion is backstory, especially now that the Expanded Universe has been switched over to “Legend“.
- Lando Calrissian, Wedge Antilles, and other classic characters will probably not appear. (Though, with Abrams, we will probably find the movie full of surprises.)
Sir Not In This Film
- There is at least one non-white character. (John Boyega)
The Seeds of Diversity (Hopefully)
- There are only two non-male characters (played by Carrie Fisher and Daisy Ridley).
Once again, J.J. Abrams and Star Wars Universe, where are the ladies? In a Post-Katniss world, where are the strong, dynamic, booty-kicking ladies?
Dear J.J. Abrams, Please do not put this young woman in a bikini.
Others have pointed out that Daisy Ridley has similar facial features to Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman). Is she the next generation of the Skywalker line? If so, is she an actual main character and not the hot male lead’s romantic interest?
Also, has anyone else noticed her last name almost matches a certain other booty-kicking lady from a sci-fi-horror franchise?
- Andy Serkis is continuing to build his empire of Sci-Fi/Fantasy Franchise Characters, soon competing only with Hugo Weaving.
However, it remains unknown if Serkis will appear as a human, or will continue his brilliant run as the go-to motion-capture actor. He already has served as two simians (King Kong and Caeser) and a deformed hobbit (Gollum).
- Bill Weasley (Domhnall Gleeson), Prince John from Robin Hood (Oscar Isaac), and the knight from The Seventh Seal (Max Von Sydow) will be entering the Star Wars Galaxy.
Death doesn’t rip your arm off if he loses.
(I tried to find something for Adam Driver, but the only movie of his I’ve seen is Lincoln, and somehow a minor character in a movie set during the US Civil War doesn’t have the same impact).
- Anthony Daniels keeps himself really fit. How else would he fit in C3-P0’s suit over the course of 37 years?
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The Millenium Falcon will ride again.
Ok. I know that’s not something we learn from the casting announcement, but I wanted a tenth item for the list.
Questions And Requests
- When J.J. Abrams re-made the Wrath of Khan for Star Trek: Into Darkness, he missed the point. The Wrath of Khan works because it acknowledges and uses the aging of its main cast as a key part of the story.
With Episode VII, I hope he uses the obvious aging of the main cast for building a richer story.
2. Who is the main character? While the Original Trilogy is mostly an ensemble, Luke is still the main character. The best candidate, and this is probably hopeful thinking, is Daisy Ridley. She’s young, and Skywalker-esque.
- Do we get bounty hunters, smugglers, and other nefarious scoundrels in addition to Jedi and military characters? It is the dark underworld shading in the Original Trilogy that gives it much of its liveliness.
Boba Fett!
- What are the names of the characters?
Maybe, on May Fourth, they will tells who the names of the new characters. Or, they will leave us speculating and then the excitement will be deflated at the actual announcement. (See: Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan)
Who do you think each new cast member will be? Where do you think Episode VII will take us? What planets would you like to visit in the film? How much lens-flare will the lightsabers have?
Other Thoughts On Recent Star Wars News
Episode VII Cast Announced from Star Wars Anonymous
The future of Star Wars books from The Wookie Gunner
Upcoming Star Wars Announcements And Releases from Star Wars Always
More info on the cast from Grantland.com
More thoughts on the casting from Love Pirate 77
Some cool fan-art posters for Episode VII from Far Far Away Radio
Go on to the next page for the April 2014 Edition of Monthly Snapshot
The L. Palmer Chronicles 
#3 makes me sad. Zahn’s novels were the perfect eps VII-IX.
On the other hand, we won’t have to hear fans go on about how no woman is good enough to play Mara Jade…
On Entertainment Weekly’s site they were recommending Scarlett Johansson – which could be epic, but far too young to be paired with Luke.
If they could have a similar character throughout the trilogy, that would be cool.
In reference to the last line in the IGN article – they’d be REALLY stupid to have Hayden Christensen return.
Given the caliber of actors in Abrams’ other projects, I trust in the high quality of these actors.
In other words, I don’t think we’ll have a Hayden Christensen problem.
(Also, if you watch the prequels with Spanish dubbing, Anakin sounds a lot more manly.)
One addition (that I didn’t mention on my blog either), is that they’re supposedly still casting one more main female role, so perhaps that’ll even out the gender gap a bit. It’s supposed to be played by a non-white actress, too, so that’s a bonus!
Oh, and thanks for linking to my blog!
This brings hope to the galaxy.
Great post! Thanks for including TWG in there! 😀
No problem!
I was less than enchanted with the second trilogy, and Abrams’s Trek movies haven’t won me over, either. So I’m interested in what’s next for Star Wars, but actually don’t know if it will compete with the current string of plot-linked Marvel superhero shows.
With Disney behind both series, there is a vast potential for greatness. I happen to like Abram’s Trek movies for all their shiny glory.
I find it hilarious that they brought back the original Chewbacca. Whatsamatter, no one else in Hollywood can growl?
Ironically, the growl is a dubbed sound effect.
And as for great Wookie growlers, I have a few friends who are excellent, as demonstrating when we were reading Star Wars Shakespeare together.
I love this! Incidentally, there’s a photo out there with the whole cast that features red bubbles with their names hovering over their heads. It’s interesting because all three of the original cast members (Hamill, Ford and Fisher) sat in different parts of the room, which I found interesting considering I’d thought they’d sit together, if anything!
Maybe the producers had the cast mingle so there weren’t clear divisions. Or, if the original cast all sat together, there would be a vast imbalance of awesomeness in the room, and people wouldn’t be able to concentrate.
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