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

Ty Simpkins Takes Lead In JURASSIC WORLD, Jake Johnson In The Mix For Role

Deadline reports that Iron Man 3 breakout star Ty Simpkins (Insidious 1-2, Little Children, War of The Worlds) has landed the lead in Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World. While Bryce Dallas Howard (50/50) was confirmed a couple of weeks back. The site also mentions that New Girl's Jake Johnson could take a role in the film. Johnson previously worked with Colin on Safety Not Guaranteed, so it might end up a reunion. Other names previously linked for roles include Josh Brolin, David Oyelowo and Garrett Hedlund.

Sullivan Stapleton Linked For Unknown Role In STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

LatinoReview reports that Aussie actor Sullivan Stapleton has also tested for an unknown part in J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII. They don't know what the role actually is. However, since he's playing a heroes in 300: The Rise of An Empire and on his UK series Strike Back. I would assume Sullivan could be looking at a Jedi Knight role in the film.

I'd love to see him as Ben Skywalker, which is rumored to have been offered to actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Gosling (which he co-starred with in Gangster Squad). Sullivan had been at one point in the mix for the role of Peter Quill/Starlord in Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy. He's also popped up as a fan favorite as the new Wolverine and Batman (pre-Batfleck). Sullivan's Animal Kingdom co-star Joel Edgerton played the young Uncle Owen in two of the prequels.

Josh Brolin Wanted For JURASSIC WORLD?

Apparently, Bryce Dallas Howard isn't the only name linked for Jurassic World. Variety (via BleedingCool) had reported that both Josh Brolin and David Oyelowo (previously rumored) are also being looked at for roles. It's the first time that Josh Brolin's name has been even mentioned but the site quickly retracted their statements.

Bryce Dallas Howard Offered Lead In JURASSIC WORLD

TheWrap reports actress Bryce Dallas Howard (50/50) has been offered a lead role in Jurassic World. Previously, Bryce and actor David Oyelowo had been linked for the film but had only been rumors at the time. However, David has been linked for two Star Wars projects recently. Those being both Episode VII and the new animated series Rebels.

David Oyelowo And Michael B. Jordan In The Mix For STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

David Oyelowo (The Butler, Rise of The Planet of The Apes, Jack Reacher, Spooks) and Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle, Fruitvale Station) are also in the mix for Star Wars: Episode VII according to LatinoReview. David has been previously linked for Jurassic World and a possible candidate for Black Panther. While Michael has long been recently rumored for the role of Human Torch in Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot. No word on their possible roles but I wouldn't rule out playing the son of Lando and new era Jedi.

JURASSIC PARK 4 Officially Titled JURASSIC WORLD Coming June 2015

Universal has announced the official title of fourth installment of Jurassic Park will be Jurassic World with a release date of June 12th, 2015. The title comes from the collectors edition of the two novels which is combined into one edition. Legendary Pictures (who recently partnered with Universal) could help on the production-side of things and could help back the project financially. The studio's first collaboration will be on the horror reboot Dracula Untold and Legendary recently wrapped production on Godzilla. While casting hasn't been announced rumors have pointed to the return of Sam Neil. Along with possible new additions such as Bryce Dallas Howard, David Oyelowo and John Kransinski.

JURASSIC PARK 4 Release Date On Hold, Bryce Dallas Howard And David Oyelowo Front-Runners For Leads?

Variety reports that Universal is putting the June 2014 release date for Jurassic Park currently on hold. The studio is trying to make the film a little bigger than it currently is. They add that Bryce Dallas Howard (50/50, Spider-Man 3) and David Oyelowo (Rise of The Planet of The Apes, Jack Reacher) had meetings and were front-runners for lead roles.

New Trailer For JACK REACHER

DREAM CAST: Who Should Play 'BLACK PANTHER'?

Now that Black Panther is next for Marvel Studios, the question is who should play him? There is a steady stream of seasoned and new actors that could take the role. Panther is a compassionate, level-headed, supergenius (similar to Reed Richards and Tony Stark) with superhuman skills in marital arts, who is also the protector/leader of Wakanda. Marvel will need to find an actor who can make Panther their own. While it's likely that the studio will be aiming to create their own action star out of obscurity like with Chris "Thor" Hemsworth.

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR: This Whedon-alumni is quickly becoming a rather big name in the acting world. His upcoming film period drama 12 Years A Slave will likely end up earning him Oscar and BAFTA nominations. Chiwetel has been apart of some extremely interesting films such as Children of Men, American Gangster, Amistad and Inside Man. He's also been apart of genre flicks such as Joss Whedon's Serenity, Redbelt, 2012 and Salt so he's not opposed to making a comic book film.

ANTHONY MACKIE: Mackie is my favorite so far as he has an equal amount of award type films and fun popcorn flicks. His serious roles include Million Dollar Baby, Hurt Locker, Half Nelson, 8 Mile and Gangster Squad. Anthony also has lighter roles as well in films like Real Steel, Eagle Eye, Pain And Gain, The Adjustment Bureau and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (action focused role). I feel like Chiwetel,  Mackie could give real depth to T'challa.

DAVID OYELOWO: British actor David Oyelowo has been suggested by ThePlaylist, who have an in-depth look at possible actors. David got his start on the BBC spy series Spooks (M:I-5) leading to roles like The Last King of Scotland, The Help, Rise of The Planet of The Apes, Red Tails, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln and Christopher McQurrie's Jack Reacher. Oyelwow might be a little older for the role but like Chiwetel is a seasoned actor that could knock it out of the park. Fitting in nicely among the other high profiled actors in the Avengers sequel.

NOEL CLARKE: Noel has been well-known in the UK developing himself as a talented actor and even director. Clearly his standout roles have been in Kidhulthood, Adulthood, Centurion and Doctor Who. The latter two must have caught the attention of J.J. Abrams leading to a supporting role in Star Trek 2. If Marvel wants another Chris Hemsworth type to mold as their own star, Clarke would make an excellent candidate.

NATE PARKER: Parker had been apart of Red Tails, which was a misstep of producer/writer George Lucas to make a large action war film focusing on a black cast. While the young talent was apparent in the film, it wasn't well written or directed becoming a missed opportunity to make a great war film. I feel Nate would be a similar casting find as Derek Luke, who had been cast in Captain America as Gabe Jones (Howling Commandos) and stole a majority of his scenes. Luke had been cast because of his standout role in Spike Lee's WWII drama Miracle At St. Anna. Jones would easily be one of the more interesting/developed black characters in the Marvel films as the eloquent linguist soldier was an empowering character that just didn't use brute strength or anger to fight a problem. T'challa is a brilliantly developed character so with the right actor it could be career making role.

I feel like Marvel would be smart to pool younger unknown talent like Parker so they can create a new star into their fray like Chris Hemsworth. Like Hemsworth, he's just as obscure and could develop into a solid action star. The studio's mission statement has been to develop their own stars instead of just hiring established ones. I could be speaking out of school here but black audiences have proven with the massive success of the Tyler Perry films (and other black led casts) that you don't need large stars to peak the interest of the black moving going public. BadassDigest has a solid write up on why Marvel is smart aiming for the black demographic alongside the comic fan audience. Panther could be the first stepping stone to see more faces of color as the lead heroes in these superhero films. Besides we can't hang-onto Blade being the greatest black superhero, since he's a niche character that isn't accessible to children.