Monday, December 23, 2013
Rumor: Rachel Hurd-Wood & Alex Pettyfer Up For Roles In Episode VII
I know who went in for an audition to play the daughter of Princess Leia (and presumably Han Solo)…And got it confirmed via representation and other solid sources: Rachel Hurd-Wood.... Our sources told us that she went in for a read and, so far, was the only one that went in for the part. However, there will be other girls going for a read, meaning SHE DOESN’T HAVE THE ROLE YET!! We want to be very clear on that before it gets blown out of context.
Hurd-Wood is best know for her role as Wendy Darling in 2003's Peter Pan.
Chavez didn't stop there:
That’s not the only thing I found out! I’ve now heard from a number of people that another actor is going for a meeting to possibly star in the film: Alex Pettyfer.... Pettyfer starred in the 2012 movie Magic Mike, and played a supporting role Lee Daniels film The Butler. As for what Pettyfer is going in for? Your guess is as good as mine, but I would say he’s going in for Skywalker’s son now that Gosling has declined.
And he also threw out this little tidbit at the end:
One last note, I’m hearing there is a major casting news (not what I reported above) dropping very soon via Lucasfilm. It could even be officially announced today… but I promised that I wouldn’t say a word on it.
So, is Latino Review right on or way off with this? What do you think of these two actors possibly having roles in Episode VII? Please let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook!
Rumor: Episode VII to Begin Filming January 21st
We are about to live in a world where principal photography for Star Wars Episode VII is underway. Latino Review is reporting the a start date of January 21st, 2014 for production on the film has been set. According to Latino Review:
First day of principal photography is January 21st 2014.Wait a minute. That date falls on a Tuesday. Why not start on Monday the 20th? Well, because the 20th is holiday, Martin Luther King Day."
While this is unconfirmed by Lucasfilm, it does line up with what Producer Bryan Burk said previously, when he stated they were aiming to begin production in early 2014.
Latino Review also weighs in the rumors of the films release date being moved to December saying, "we are also hearing that the Disney/Lucasfilm are so far behind schedule that Episode VII will in fact be released around Christmas 2015". While I made the case on the most recent episode of The SWU Podcast that the film is not behind schedule at all given the speed at which movies are made these days (even effects heavy blockbusters like The Avengers and Star Trek: Into Darkness), a December is seemingly more and more a possibility (or at least a back up plans if there are too many unforeseen issues during production). I wouldn't expect a specific release date to be announced until San Diego Comic Con 2014 at the earliest.
Ian McDiarmid Denies His Involvement In Episode VII
Recently we reported on and discussed rumors about Ian McDiarmid's possible return as Sidious/Palpatine in Episode VII. While we've heard nothing from Lucasfilm yet denying or confirming this, Ian McDirarmid himself has addressed the rumors. ComicBook.com reports that McDiarmid appeared at Fan Expo in Toronto, Canada and talked in length about it:
While he firmly denied that any deals had been signed, he didn’t completely rule out the possibility of the Emperor’s return. However, McDiarmid believes that Star Wars Episode VII will feature new villains.
McDiarmid said, “Well, there’s so many rumors. I like you, know nothing, because there are no facts yet. We know that John Williams is doing the music. Kathleen Kennedy announced that when we were all in Essen, but she and everyone else is unable to say anything else at the moment, because I understand they’re still working on the script.”
McDiarmid added, “There’s been all sorts of rumors. No conversations have been had, and no deals have been struck. And anyway, I’m dead…but I could be resurrected. Yes, I’ve heard of ghosts, I’ve heard of clones. There’s all sorts of possibilities. But until I get that phone call, like the one I had before, I won’t believe I’m in it. And I think I won’t be working for it, because it’s a whole new world now that I think is going to be invented. There might be some old favorites in it, but I should imagine it’s about the adventures of the descendents of the first characters and new villains that no one except George has ever imagined. And I hope it is, because the great thing about Disney is that it will continue in a new form with new people and be reinvented, just like all great works of art are sooner of later.”
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Rumor: Ewan McGregor To Return As Obi-Wan In Episode VII
I have confirmed this with three close sources that are on the project and they all confirmed to me that Ewan McGregor would be back as a Force Ghost in the upcoming sequel trilogy.
Fans have speculated for some time now about the possibility of Obi-Wan making a ghostly cameo in the new Films. And being that Sir Alec Guinness is no longer with us, Ewan would be the obvious choice. And Kellvin points out that McGregor has already made it clear that he's ready to return to the role. Also, Kellvin had this to add at the end of the article:
The interesting part of the conversation I had with my source was that McGregor also wants a solo standalone film! Whether he gets one or not is still up in the air.
It would indeed be much easier for Ewan to reprise Obi-Wan in a spin-off film that's set in the 19 year period between Revenge Of The Sith and A New Hope(Ewan himself has suggested this). Perhaps it could be in the same vein as the new Novel "Kenobi" by John Jackson Miller.
Time will tell if these rumors come to fruition. In the meantime, while we wait for official word from Lucasfilm, take this one with a grain of salt.
Rumor: Ian McDiarmid to Return for Episode VII
Disappointed by the lack of Star Wars news coming out of D23, well here is a rumor that should help. Our friends over a JediNews are reporting that Ian McDiarmid, the actor who played Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious in the Star Wars saga is set to return for Episode VII.
Assuming the rumor is true, it begs the question of who will McDiarmid be playing? Will he be returning to his role as Palpatine/Sidious or will be returning in a cameo as different character (as Jeremy Bulloch did in Revenge of the Sith)? And if Palpatine is returning, how will that be pulled off? Will he be resurrected? Or perhaps appear in a vision or dream? My money is on the latter, but we never can be quite sure what kind of story their coming up with over at Lucasfilm/Disney/Bad Robot.
Remember this is just a rumor until confirmed by Lucasfilm or Disney.
Rumor: Is Foodles Productions Ltd. Really Episode VII?
Our friends over at Jedi News have been doing some detective work and they believe they have uncovered the fake "production company" being used as a cover for the filming of Star Wars Episode VII. According to their initial report:
"In a move similar to the Prequels (JAK Productions) and Return of the Jedi (Blue Harvest Productions) the film is in pre-production under a pseudonym: Foodles Productions Ltd, a company registered on 26th March 2013 to the Disney headquarters in London."
Continuing their investigation they have found more and more evidence supporting this theory. You can read it here and here.
This is certainly a fascinating investigation and we'll keep you updated on it. It certainly makes sense that Lucasfilm would be secretive regarding the filming of Episode VII, this very investigation is proof of why. And it's something that's been done before, the most famous being ROTJ being called Blue Harvest during production, so it's no stretch to think they'd try it again.
Confirmed! John Williams to Score Episodes 7, 8, and 9
By Chris Seekell
BREAKING NEWS: Kathleen Kennedy took the stage today at Celebration Europe in Germany to discuss the future of Star Wars with the fans. Our Dominic Jones was in the audience tweeting live. The Lucasfilm President confirmed that John Williams will definitely be scoring the sequel trilogy, and shortly after an official video with more details was released, which is embedded below.
BREAKING: John Williams will be scoring the next 3 films! #StarWarsCelebration
— Star Wars Underworld (@TheSWU) July 27, 2013
View the highlights from Kennedy's panel here.
Lucasfilm: J.J Abrams NOT Leaving Episode VII
A new Episode VII rumor set the Internet ablaze with speculation today, but don't believe everything you hear. First of all, Badass Digest mentioned in one of their articles that J.J Abrams could be leaving his directing job on Star Wars Episode VII to work on Star Trek 3. They cited "multiple insiders" as the source of the rumor and pointed out that J.J has been vocal about his displeasure with shooting the film in the U.K which may have caused problems behind the scenes. Many sites were quick to report on this apparent revelation, but thankfully the good folks at IGN contacted Lucasfilm to find out the truth:
"There is no truth to the rumor," a Lucasfilm rep told us. "JJ is having a great time working on the script and is looking forward to going into production next year."
So if you were looking forward to a J.J Abrams directed Star Wars movie, you can breath a sigh of relief.
Special thanks to SWU contributor David Gremillion for bringing this to our attention!
Doctor Who's Matt Smith Would Like Role in Star Wars
The star of the hit British sci-fi series Doctor Who has been making the rounds this week at San Diego Comic-Con, including an interview with IGN where he was asked about his future acting aspirations after the much anticipated conclusion of his role as the Eleventh Doctor.
When asked if he would like a role in the other franchise, Star Trek, Matt responded, "I would, J.J. --or Star Wars."
You can watch the full interview here.
Sound off in the comments, would Matt Smith make a good Star Wars character?
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