Star Wars Rumors Double Down On Saoirse Ronan And Benedict Cumberbatch’s Episode VII Involvement
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With Star Wars: Episode VII rumored to start production in January 2014, it’s only a matter of time before we start hearing who will be appearing in the film’s main cast. Although Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher are almost locks to appear in the new film, it’s doubtful the story will revolve around them for three movies. It’s no secret that Disney and Lucasfilm are looking at fresh, up-and-coming actors to fill the roles in Episode VII — George Lucas said the sequel trilogy would be for a new generation of fans — but who will be the new faces of Star Wars?
According to Latino Review’s inside sources, Irish American actor Saoirse Ronan is indeed in talks to star in Star Wars: Episode VII, as first rumored last month. While they didn’t specify which character Ronan would play in the new film, there is speculation that she would either play a female villain or Han Solo and Princess Leia’s daughter.
Ronan turned down a role in The Avengers: Age of Ultron as Wanda Maximoff, aka The Scarlet Witch, but she’d be able to stay under the Disney umbrella if she landed the Episode VII role, going from Marvel to Lucasfilm. She recently appeared in the dreadful film adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s The Host for director Andrew Niccol. While the film was one of the worst of 2013, she gave a wonderful performance as the dual role of the alien-human hybrid Melanie Stryde/Wanderer (Wanda). Ronan was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role as the 13-year-old Briony Tallis in Joe Wright’s Atonement in 2007. She would be perfect for a Star Wars movie.
Meanwhile, the ongoing hullabaloo regarding British actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s potential Ep VII role continues. Latino Review has doubled down their reports that Cumberbatch will be involved. Cumberbatch, on the other hand, continues to deny that he will play the villain in the new movie. Kellvin Chavez from Latino Review firmly believes the 37-year-old actor will end up in the picture. Chavez writes:
HE IS IN THE MOVIE! In fact, he will be in all three Star Wars films! It’s all a smoke screen. Folks, remember when Cumberbatch denied being Khan for over a year? Same situation here. At least give us the benefit of the doubt hence why we are bringing this up. Point is, he lied before and he can lie again. Google it. One more time because it is worth repeating, Benedict Cumberbatch will be will in the upcoming Star Wars movies. I don’t care if he denies it till opening day. We were right before about him playing Khan, and we will be right again on this one. Technically, his part in Episode VII is very small but the role is much bigger in Episode VIII and Episode IX.
J.J. Abrams and Benedict Cumberbatch obviously have a history of denying rumors that eventually prove to be true. We all remember how long Abrams and Cumberbatch insisted the British actor was not playing Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. So there might be some truth to Latino Review’s reports, but I would still be dubious of any casting rumors until an official announcement from Disney or Lucasfilm.
Lastly, Latino Review also picked up word that 90% of Star Wars: Episode VII will be shot in London, England, while the other 10% will be filmed in Los Angeles and Las Cruces, New Mexico. It’s assumed that the New Mexico location would double as the desert planet Tatooine. So I guess production isn’t making its way down to Tunisia for this time.
Star Wars: Episode VII will hit theaters everywhere sometime in 2015.
