'Star Wars: Episode VII': Meet the New Cast

John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow join the Disney and Lucasfilm sci-fi project.

AP Images
'Star Wars: Episode VII'

After months of speculations, the stars of Star Wars: Episode VII have finally been revealed. Joining original franchise stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, MarkHamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker are John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, andMax von Sydow.

J.J. Abrams will helm the new film, which is set 30 years after the events in 1983's Return of the Jedi.

While some of the names, such as Boyega and Isaac, had been circulating as possible stars, others like newcomer Ridley, are complete surprises. Learn more about the new cast of Star Wars: Episode VIIbelow:

John Boyega
Boyega had a breakout role as Moses in 2011's sci-fi pic Attack the Block, directed by Joe Cornish. The 22-year old British actor, whose other film credits include Half of a Yellow Sun (which also starredChiwetel Ejiofor), will next appear in the limited TV series 24: Live Another Day. He's repped by CAA and Management 360.


Daisy Ridley
Ridley is a newcomer whose past credits are mostly comprised of TV appearances and short films. The British actress appeared on the British TV shows Mr Selfridge and Silent Witness. She's repped by Jonathan Arun Talent in the U.K.

Adam Driver
Driver, who will play a villain, has come into the spotlight in the past two years for his breakout role as Lena Dunham's volatile boyfriend on HBO's series Girls. The 30-year-old actor also had a memorable part in The Coen Brother's Inside Llewyn Davis. Driver took a unique path to acting: He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq, and, after he was discharged, went to the University of Indianapolis for a year before transferring to the Juilliard. He appeared in 2011's J. Edgar, and has had TV roles on Law & Order and The Unusuals. He's repped by The Gersh Agency.


Oscar Isaac
Isaac had a breakout role in the Coen Brother's 2013 film Inside Llewyn Davis, playing a struggling musician in 1960s New York. Born in Guatemala and raised in Florida, Isaac graduated from the Juilliard School where he studied drama. The actor's early work included Robin Hood, Sucker Punch and W.E. He then played Carey Mulligan's husband in Nicolas Winding Refn's dark film Drive. Repped by UTA and Inspire Entertainment, Isaac's has wrapped work on J.C. Chandor's upcoming film A Most Violent Year and has two other films in the can: sci-fi drama Ex Machina and thriller Mojave starring Mark Wahlberg.

Andy Serkis
Serkis is known for his motion capture work in some of the biggest films from the past few years. He created the role of ring-hungry Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy andThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and plays intelligent ape Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the upcoming Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Serkis, 50, earned a Golden Globe nom for playing a serial killer on the British TV film Longford. The CAA-repped actor, who directed second-unit on the first Hobbit film, is attached to direct Warner Bros. upcoming Jungle Book film.

Domhnall Gleeson
The Irish actor is the son of actor Brendan Gleeson, and starred along his father as Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2. Repped by Paradigm, he'll appear in Angelina Jolie's upcoming directorial project Unbroken. Also a stage actor, Gleeson earned a Tony Award nomination in 2006 for his role in Broadway'sThe Lieutenant of Inishmore.

Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow has been a working actor since 1949, starring in dozens of films throughout his career, including Through a Glass Darkly, The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Emigrants, The Exorcist and Three Days of the Condor. He worked with IngmarBergman in 11 films, the first being The Seventh Seal in 1957. The 85-year-old actor's more recent work includes The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Robin Hood and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, for which he was nominated for a best supporting actor.

Source: THR

Samuel L Jackson talks Star Wars: Episode VII.... again

It's official: Samuel L Jackson likes talking about 'Star Wars: Episode VII' more than the internet does.

Jackson was a guest on David Letterman's US talk show last night and had some very interesting things to say about the latest 'Star Wars' movie.

Okay it's not that interesting.

"I went to London to start another film, and I'm in the film with Mark Hamill so I asked Mark if he'd heard from J.J. Abrams, and he said: 'No'. Then all of a sudden Ewan [McGreggor] was there and I spoke to him on the phone and asked if he was there doing 'Star Wars' and he said: 'No, they didn't call me."

Go on...

"So I was thinking maybe all three of us should get together and just and go over to the 'Star Wars' set one day and just stand around and see if maybe they could use some old Jedi."

That's more like it.

Jackson clearly loves 'Star Wars' and it's always great to see actors speaking as fans. He'd jump at the chance to be in the new film, even though his character Mace Windu was electrocuted and thrown off a skyscraper some 60 years prior to when 'Episode VII' will take place in the 'Star Wars' universe.

As for the little nugget about Mark Hamill not being involved, we all know that he likely will be, so maybe Sam Jackson was just being a bit creative with his story.

With two years until the film hits cinemas, stay tuned for a lot more of Jackson's 'Star Wars' ramblings.

Source: uk.movies.yahoo.com

Star Wars VII starts filming Spring 2014

Lucasfilm confirm when Star Wars will start shooting.

It looks as though the galaxy far, far away might be edging even further from our grasp as Lucasfilm reveals that 'Star Wars' will begin shooting in spring 2014. 

But after rumours that we might see principal photography kicking off by January, will 'Episode VII' make it onto our screens by the original Summer 2015 slate?

Just two days ago, Lucasfilm made the staggering announcement that J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan would take over writing duties on 'Star Wars: Episode VII'. But buried underneath this sensational news was a confirmation of when filming will officially begin.

"Shooting is scheduled to begin Spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios for an expected 2015 release."

Now, this is a good few months off the earlier rumoured January 2014 start date. But how will this affect production?

If you ask me, it looks as though Lucasfilm are buying time… and this may result in the film's release being pushed back. Just look at how the statement is worded: 'expected 2015 release'. It doesn't exactly look good.

Of course, many fans are concerned about this potential script 'rewrite'. But I can't help thinking that it looks like a much bigger deal than it actually is. All we know for certain is that Abrams and Kasdan have taken over screen writing duties. Does that mean they need to rewrite the entire thing? Just key scenes? Or could they simply be polishing dialogue and tricky scenes before production begins?

But then there's post-production to consider. If shooting begins in Spring, that's likely to leave less than a year for 'Episode VII' post-production. On a movie like 'Star Wars' that's a mammoth task, and one that they'd be hard-pressed to meet. Especially if they have to take out all those unnecessary lens flares…

So while Lucasfilm continue to crew up and both Abrams and Kasdan get to work on that script, it looks as though there could still be a long way to go before they start filming. But does that mean we'll have to wait even longer for any official news? Surely they can't keep us in the dark forever?

What do you think of the 'Star Wars VII' shooting schedule? Will they have enough time to get the movie ready by Summer 2015? Let us know what you think in the comments below…

Source:  uk.movies.yahoo.com

James McAvoy wants a part in Star Wars VII

Will the Force be with James? God we hope so and so does he, take a look. 

He may be one of the X-Men's most iconic mutants but James McAvoy reveals he'd do anything for a part in 'Star Wars: Episode VII'.

It's no secret that 'Star Wars' is one of the biggest film franchises in the entire world… and while auditions have already kicked off for 'Star Wars: Episode VII' it looks as though there are still some actors who are keen for a part. Among them is none other than James McAvoy (or Professor X to his pals) and he reveals that he'd do absolutely to appear in the galaxy far, far away.

In an interview with the Empire Film Podcast, James McAvoy revealed that he's one of the few actors who hasn't auditioned for 'Star Wars'… but he'd certainly be up for it.

"I have not auditioned for Star Wars," he said. "Something is rotten in the state of equity, I'm telling you. No. Although I have just been working with one of the writers of the new series, Simon Kinberg. I slipped him a couple of coffees, felt his bum a wee bit, you know what I mean? "Any chance big man?" So yeah, I've put in the work."

Obviously this rather tongue-in-cheek response shouldn't be taken too seriously… but it looks as though he's definitely keen for the chance to audition. And who wouldn't be? A self-confessed sci-fi and fantasy geek, this would be the icing on James McAvoy's already rather impressive cake. But could 'Star Wars' writer Simon Kinberg put in a good word?

He certainly might after what McAvoy has to say about him…

"He's in everything," he explained. "He's a great guy. He is so smart thematically and structurally. He just knows how to make these things work. He's a great guy. I had a great time working on X-Men, the first one and the second one with him. Not the first one, but our first one with the new guys… and we got to work even more closely on Days of Future Past."

But will he get to work with Kinberg again on 'Star Wars: Episode VII'?

I'll be honest, I certainly hope so. But with everyone in Hollywood clamouring for a part, it might not be quite so simple. Having said that, I could certainly see him swinging around a lightsaber in a Jedi role… but whether or not he gets the chance is another matter entirely.

Do you think James McAvoy should be given an audition? Would you like to see him appear in 'Star Wars: Episode VII'? Let us know what you think in the comments below…

Source: uk.movies.yahoo.com