Zac Efron Confirms Star Wars: Episode VII Meeting

By Rudie Obias | Published 10 years ago

Production on Star Wars: Episode VII is set to begin shooting this March or April. With only a few months until then, it’s still unclear who will be cast in the new film. It’s been a year since Kathleen Kennedy announced that J.J. Abrams would be directing Episode VII, with a good mix of his regular collaborators like cinematographer Dan Mindel and Star Wars regulars such as sound designer Ben Burtt and film composer John Williams. At the moment, that’s pretty much all we know about Episode VII, officially. But while Disney and Lucasfilm have yet to announce the film’s new cast, an up-and-coming Hollywood star is looking to be in the new movie.

In an interview with MTV, actor Zac Efron confirmed that he recently took a meeting with Lucasfilm about Episode VII. “Yeah, I just went and met with them. So I don’t know. It would be cool. I love [the Star Wars movies], I love them, but…who knows?,” said the 26-year-old actor. Rumors of Efron being involved in Episode VII first popped up back in July 2013, but this is the first time Efron has confirmed that he had met with Lucasfilm about the film.

Zac Efron seems like he would be a good fit for Star Wars. He has the dashing good looks of a Han Solo type, albeit without the charms as a young Harrison Ford. He’s also a good enough actor to be in the Star Wars film franchise. I can see him playing a Jacen Solo-esque character. Efron’s That Awkward Moment co-star Michael B. Jordan is also rumored to be up for a role in the Star Wars sequel.

While many consider Efron to be a teenybopper icon, having appeared in Disney’s High School Musical TV series and subsequent film trilogy, he is looking to branch out into other types of movies. This isn’t the first time Efron was affiliated with a popular science fiction property. Efron played young Simon Tam in the Firefly episode “Safe.”

J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have reportedly finished the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII, only a few months after original screenwriter Michael Arndt stepped down from the project. With a finished screenplay and production scheduled to begin in a few months, it’s really only a matter of time before we finally get some casting confirmations and learn what characters will be featured in Episode VII.

Carrie Fisher has said that Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford are expected to report to Pinewood Studios in London this March or April, while new rumors suggest that the sequel trilogy will feature very similar stories and characters from the Star Wars expanded universe, such as Ben Skywalker, Luke’s son; and Jaina and Jacen Solo, Han Solo and Princess Leia’s twin daughter and son. Furthermore, fan-favorite Mara Jade (or at least some version of the Jedi Master) will reportedly be introduced in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels, and will then go on to appear in Episode VII.

Star Wars: Episode VII will hit theaters everywhere on December 18, 2015.

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