Iko Uwais And Two Other Badasses From THE RAID Films Join STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS

TwitchFilm has reported that three actors from the Raid franchise have joined Star Wars The Force Awakens. They include breakout star Iko Uwais along with fellow badasses Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman. All three are heavily trained in martial arts and acrobatics, perfect for a franchise like Star Wars.

I'll be interested to know if they're playing sith, jedi or something completely different. There is also the chance they could be doing the actual fight-work for the characters in the film, but I feel like that would be a waste of their on-screen talents. We've been hearing for ages the film will do it's best to reduce the use of CGI, and we could see Abrams hiring fighters instead of digital artists.

The franchise hasn't had really any noteworthy Asian cast members, so it would be nice to see a bit more diversity as well. Trade Federation, the villains of the prequels were said to be influenced by the Japanese of WWII (Empire/Storm Troopers in the original trilogy were inspired by the Nazis), while the prequel villains came-off racist as fuck. Among other aspects of the prequels being extremely insensitive to other cultures.

Lucas being known for this type of shit which we saw in Temple of Doom when exploring Indian culture and most notably cuisine. Eating snakes, bugs, eyeballs and monkey brains in a country mostly known for being vegetarian.



SOURCE: TWITCH

David Oyelowo Is Likely Joining The Cast Of STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

For months now British actor David Oyelowo (The Last King of Scotland, Rise of The Planet of The Apes, Jack Reacher, Red Tails, Spooks) has been linked for meetings and a role in Star Wars: Episode VII. Rumors are circling that he's indeed taken a part in the seventh installment of the franchise. It doesn't hurt he has a connection to George Lucas, via starring in his passion-project Red Tails.

LatinoReview seems to be the more respected and known of the sites reporting on this news. The lesser known sites are stating he could be playing a CGI character, but that is being disputed by LR. They also add that Adam Driver and Lupita Nyong'o are playing villainous "mercenaries", not Jedi Hunters which is another disputed claim.

David has been a standout lately and we've already included him in our wish-list for Marvel's casting of Black Panther. He was also in the mix for a major role in Jurassic World. The rising star should win-out a breakout role with this project and even more international awareness than from previous movies. It had been rumored Oyelowo's role could be Lando's son, but this was never confirmed. Here's hoping his Star Wars commitments allow him to take on projects that place him as the leading hero in the future.


SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Lucasfilm Confirms And Reveals STAR WARS EPISODE VII Cast, Release Date Set For December 2015

Lucasfilm has officially announced the cast of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII. We have confirmation that original actors such as Mark Hamill, Carrie FIsher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker will be returning in their respected roles.

They've also revealed that new additions include Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver and Max von Sydow, have also joined the Star Wars universe. We weren't expecting this reveal to include this many cast members, but it's a pleasant surprise. Their roles haven't been explained, and likely won't be for a long time. The studio did however snap a photo of the cast doing a table-read of the new script.

Andy Serkis (Tintin, King Kong, Hobbit, Lord of The Rings, Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, Rise of The Planet of The Apes) is also mentioned in the press release. I have to assume he'll be playing a motion capture character, due to his extensive background with it. Yet, he's just a great actor so they could use him anyway they want to.

A release date has also been confirmed for December 18th, 2015.

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Director J.J. Abrams says, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

SOURCE: LUCASFILM

Peter Mayhew To Reprise Chewbacca In STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

Disney's Alan Horn recently confirmed shooting on Star Wars: Episode VII is underway, with a majority of the cast set. A new report from THR suggests that we'll be getting our favorite walking fur-ball back as well! Actor Peter Mayhew who recent underwent double-knee replacement surgery will indeed reprise the role of Chewbacca in the new film.

While it's been assumed that Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher will have supporting roles. An official announcement hasn't been made. The only returning character besides Chewie that has been confirmed is R2-D2. Adam Driver is reportedly set as the new villain.


SOURCE: THR

Will Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong'o Play A Badass Sith In STAR WARS EPISODE VII?

Even more interesting casting news has broken over the weekend. LatinoReview has revealed that newly Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o (Non-Stop, 12 Years A Slave) is in the mix for a major role in Star Wars: Episode VII. Apparently, the lead female part could be an original sith character, rather than a jedi. THR has confirmed that Lupita had a meeting with J.J. Abrams about taking a role in Episode VII.


The newcomer has proven she can give extremely powerful emotional performances, something that would be a giant asset for a villain. Could she end-up being paired with Adam Driver? Her 12 Years co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor has also been linked for role.


SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

John Boyega And Ed Speleers Apart Of Short-List For Lead Jedi Role In STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

It looks like Star Wars: Episode VII casting is heating-up or just being dragged-out, as new names are being mentioned as contenders for a lead jedi role. Variety reports that actors such as John Boyega (Attack The Block), Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey), Matthew James Thomas (Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark) and Ray Fisher, have joined Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad) as in the mix for a lead part in the film. A character isn't mentioned but it's likely an apprentice of sorts.

Production is expected to begin in May, and nailing-down a cast is needed to happen soon. As the new actors will be given extensive fight, weapons and sword training for the film. Things will have to come together, or they won't have enough time before shooting begins.

Currently, Adam Driver (Girls) is the only new cast member expected to join the cast. Driver is said to be playing the villain of the film, which is in the vein of Darth Vader (possibly a sith?). The assumption that he'll be a new threat to the established Jedi Order, or the Rebel-led government. Boyega is my faovrite of the bunch, as he is also a fan favorite for Black Panther. He's got tons of charm and could easily bring this franchise into the right direction. After the wooden performances of the prequels, John would be a nice upgrade.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Adam Driver Front-Runner To Play STAR WARS EPISODE VII Villain?

Another day, another casting story concerning Star Wars: Episode VII. This time Variety is claiming that Girls actor Adam Driver is the front-runner to play the film's villain, said to be similar to Darth Vader. This isn't the first film where the actor has been a "front-runner", he was previously "rumored" for Nightwing in Batman Vs Superman. Driver also recently signed-up for Martin Scorsese's Silence which might be in conflict with the Star Wars production.



SOURCE: VARIETY

Liam Neeson To Lead Martin Scorsese's Japan-Set Drama SILENCE

Lawsuits and production delays are finally over for Martin Scorsese, as the shooting for his next film Silence is moving closer to reality. The long delayed production was expected to happen years ago, but was thrown into a legal battle. All of that has cleared up, as Deadline reports that Liam Neeson will take the lead role in the film. Neeson previously took a role in Martin's Gangs of New York, which was also a priest. Daniel Day-Lewis was originally cast in this role but would eventually exit over delays. You might remember that Neeson was original set for the lead role in Lincoln, but was later recast with Daniel after it's own delays.  It's a great career choice on the part of Neeson, who has been taking on more action focused roles. Seeing him take on a more serious role like this, might lead to him becoming a major Oscar contender again.


The film centres around a group of 17th century Jesuits who to try bring Christianity to isolated Japan. These events eventually become violent as The Shogun (ruling class in Japan) outlaw Christianity, as they see it a threat to their divine rule of the country. Other cast members include Andrew Garfield (Social Network, Red Riding, Never Let Me Go) and go-to Japanese actor Ken Watanabe (Inception, Last Samurai, Unforgiven). Oddly, enough there is zero mention of Adam Driver (Girls), who apparently landed a supporting role in the film recently. I'm dying to see this finally get made, I expect we'll be hearing more high-level western and Japanese talent added to the cast.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Michael Fassbender, Hugo Weaving And Others Linked For STAR WARS: EPISODE VII Roles

The current talk of the town via THR, is that the major script rewrites for Star Wars: Episode VII by Abrams and Larry Kasdan will focus on making the the original three actors (Hamill, Fisher and Ford) the main leads. Placing the new characters in supporting roles, before eventually taking over in Episode VIII and Episode IX. It's said that Michael Arndt's script would focus mostly on the Skywalker kids, and having the original cast act as mentors to launch the new trilogy. That seems to have been scrapped, and Abrams along with Larry Kasdan are trying to make Luke, Leia and Han the leads of the film, before handing the franchise over to a new group of actors. I wouldn't be shocked if bits-and-pieces from Arndt's script end's up being used for Episode VIII.

Of course, with rewrites that means new characters will be created, and others cut from previous drafts. A new casting report from reports that J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm are looking at Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave, Shame, Inglourious Basterds), Hugo Weaving (Cloud Atlas, Matrix, V For Vendetta, Lord of The Rings, Hobbit), Adam Driver (Girls, Frances Ha). Weaving could end up playing an Imperial character in the film.

Breaking Bad's Jesse Plemons (The Master) has also been linked for an upcoming meeting with J.J. for a lead role, according to TheWrap. My guess would be that Plemons might be up for the role of Ben Skywalker.

Fassbender is the third cast member of 12 Years A Slave to be linked for a part in Episode VII. Previously, Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor have been reportedly pursued for roles in the film. Ejiofor seemingly confirms interest to Yahoo! (via CBM), instead of the usual denial we get from candidates (I'm taking about you Cumberbatch). A possible Oscar nomination is on the horizon, which could see Chiwetel getting a ton of offers for big movies after the awards ceremony. Nabbing him early would be a smart move on the part of Lucasfilm. Ejiofor has also been a fan-favorite for the role of T'Challa in Marvel's Black Panther film, which may or may not be in the works for Phase Three.

"Who knows? We'll just have to see...I don't know is really the only answer I can give you. I'm a huge fan of that world and JJ, but I don't know. I can't tell you. There are a lot of things that would be great to play and to investigate if I spent enough time thinking about it, but really it's to try and see what actually does happen, what materialises... and figure out what the great stories are."

Having actors on this kind of level will likely help, rather than hurt, considering there would be less of a gamble acting-wise if Lucasfilm hires awards caliber actors for roles. Fassbender's involvement with the X-Men franchise could become a conflict, along with his participation with Fox's Assassin's Creed film. That being said, Michael is a workaholic and cramming a bunch of lengthly productions next to each other, wouldn't be a problem for him.

SOURCE: THR