No one is as excited for the newest Star Wars film as I. After patiently trawling through news articles, rumours and general social media buzz, I decided the only decent thing to do would be to create a overview of what we know about the elusive seventh installment. So read on to get the gossip on the down-low so far.
When will it be released?
The official release date, as confirmed by the official Twitter page, is 18th December 2015. However, as in the world of film, this could always change due to problems during filming and editing, but fingers crossed it won’t change too drastically.
Who’s directing?
JJ Abrams has been confirmed to direct, as well as being a co-writer, alongside Lawrence Kasdan. Both have experience in the sci-fi genre – not only has Abrams directed the recent Star Trek reboots, Kasdan was also involved in the Empire Strikes Back installment. Exciting stuff.
And the music…?
You’ll be glad to hear the original composer John Williams is returning to compose the score.
When is it set?
Abrams has confirmed it’s set 30 years after Return of the Jedi.
The big question – who’s in it?
We’ve been quite fortunate in that we actually know quite a lot about casting. While the old rumour mill has been working overtime, we do have plenty of confirmed cast members. Firstly, we have the original trio of Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford returning as Leia, Luke and Han Solo respectively, much to the delight of fans everywhere. Also returning are Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels, which means that we’re definitely going to see our favourite droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as well as Chewbacca. Hurrah!
The list of newcomers is just as exciting, with the biggest name so far being Andy Serkis, well known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings series as well as Rise of the Planet of the Apes. We’ve also been told that Adam Driver of Girls fame is starring, and the most recent rumour is that he’s to play the son of Leia and Han who has been seduced by the Dark Side. However, although his casting is definitely confirmed, what role he’ll play is still unknown, so take that with a pinch of salt. John Boyega, from Attack the Block, is also starring, as well as Daisy Ridley, who is going to be in the upcoming The Inbetweeners 2 film. Ridley was the first female actress (excusing the great Mrs Fisher, of course) to be announced, so rumours of her role have been rife, with the most popular being that she’ll play Jaina, daughter of Han and Leia. Again, just a rumour, and not yet confirmed.
Who else?
Oscar Isaac, who has had roles in Drive, Sucker Punch, and Inside Llewyn Davis, has been cast, as well as Domhnall Gleeson, who most will know as Weasley brother Bill from Harry Potter, as well as recently starring in Frank and rom-com About Time.
Max von Sydow is also adding the famous franchise to his extensive list of credits such as Flash Gordon and Shutter Island. Most recently, two more female cast members have been announced in the forms of Gwendoline Christie, who we all know as Brienne from Game of Thrones, and Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o who is probably most well-known for her role in 12 Years a Slave. This recent announcement is an exciting one, as it invites the idea of more female roles in the film, and potentially a female villain in some guise or another. Also rumoured is Billie Lourd, daughter of Carrie Fisher, who may play a younger Princess Leia – does this mean a flashback is involved?!
Phew! Anything else?
Abrams has announced that the installment will be shot on film, rather than IMAX. A shame, as IMAX has some amazing qualities when it comes to film, however, Abrams was quoted as backing up his decision by claiming “The problem with IMAX is it’s a very loud camera, it’s a very unreliable camera, there’s only so much film that can be in the camera. You can’t really do intimate scenes with it. It’s slow. They break down often.”
We get to see the Millennium Falcon!
As well as a humorous photo of a note from Abrams wishing that people would stop leaking photos and claiming the return of the Millennium Falcon, it turns out Ford was injured by the door of the Falcon falling and breaking his leg. Bad news about Ford’s injury, which could alter the filming schedule, but on the bright side, we get the Falcon.
Will there be Stormtroopers?
You bet your sweet nerfherder there will be! At least, if we’re to believe the big cheesy grin that Kevin Smith (of Jay and Silent Bob fame) flashed when he was asked. According to sources, Smith was invited to the set, and when asked if there were Stormtroopers, responded with a massive grin. Make of that what you will.
Any locations?
We know they’ve had a stint filming in Abu Dhubi, and currently shooting at Pinewood Studios in the UK.
So that’s all we know so far! Am I excited? Hell yeah! Hopefully fans will get some more information soon, but if Abrams carries on with this tight-lipped approach, we may be waiting a while.
Ramblings of Rachools 