Photo: Stewart Cook/REX USA.Ever since it was announced that Disney would be releasing three new installments of the mega-popular Star Wars franchise after the studio purchased LucasFilm for a whopping $4.05 billion in 2012, Hollywood pundits have been hypothesizing about plot points and casting rumors.
Up to now, all we've known is that J.J. Abrams will direct the first installment, tentatively titled Star Wars: Episode VII, and that R2D2 will definitely appear in the film. The rest has been conjecture, and a lot of it, too. Every young actor in Hollywood is said to have auditioned for Abrams, including Adam Driver, Jesse Plemons, Saoirse Ronan, and Michael B. Jordan. However, our favorite rumor to date has to be the one that has Lupita Nyong'o joining the cast in a lead role. We do know that the Oscar-winning actress met with Abrams only a few weeks ago, and that the director is known for his love of diverse casting, as evidenced by the multicultural actors featured in his acclaimed Star Trek reboot.
But, enough with the rumormongering. Today, we can finally report some confirmed details about the upcoming movie, courtesy of Disney head Bob Iger. "There will be some very familiar faces along with a trio of new young leads," he said, during Disney's annual shareholder's meeting. The familiar faces he's likely referring to are the franchise's original heroes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher, who have hinted that they'd be resuming their roles in the new film.
Iger also divulged the first real plot detail from the film, when he admitted that the story will resume 30 years after the events of the The Return of The Jedi. He also confirmed that filming will begin in May, at London's legendary Pinewood studios. Does this mean that the first official casting news is just days away? If so, we're rooting for you, Lupita. May the force be with you. (Sorry, we had to.) (The Hollywood Reporter)