After an absurdly long wait, the cast for Star Wars: Episode VII has been revealed, and it does not disappoint! First off, the long rumored original cast of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Kenny Baker (R2D2) are returning to reprise their roles, all of which are fantastic to see return. As for new faces, Lord of the Rings veteran Andy Serkis will be playing a role in the film, and as a massive fan of his work as Gollum and other roles, I am beyond excited to see him cast in the film. One would expect him to play a computer generated motion-capture character, and maybe he will also play a live-action role considering that he is an all around great actor. If you remember, in a post a while back about the rumored "Seven Jedi" film, I suggested that Andy Serkis should play a role in a Star Wars film, and it turns out that I was right! The cast members include, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. My first impression of the cast is that I am glad to see relative newcomers and unknowns in the various roles, opposed to big name actors. The original Star Wars films had a lot of newcomers, and the Marvel films have had similar success with their casting. On a side note, my biggest disappointment with the new film is that the EU is said to be skipped over, which is a topic that will take another poster entirely to discuss.
Daisy Ridley is the least known of the group having only done a few minor TV roles. On the other hand, Max von Sydow offers a veteran presence to the cast, without being too big of a name. Harry Potter fans will recognize Domhnall Gleeson for his role as Bill Weasley, and both Isaac and Driver are notable for last year's critically acclaimed Inside Llewyn Davis. No announcement on who these actors will be playing, but my thoughts on each cast member will be coming tomorrow. My overall thoughts on the casting is that they are all inspired choices that appear to be focused on quality rather than getting the big names, which is exactly what Disney and Abrams should be doing. In fact, my entire outlook about Episode VII and the future of Star Wars is now much more positive than it was in the past.
What do you think of this breaking news? Are you satisfied with the cast? Please let me know in the comments and please check back tomorrow my breakdown of the new cast with details about their past works and my speculations about what role they will be playing.
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| This is the official picture from the script reading. |
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Personally? Just seeing the cast list and the script reading is enough for me to get really excited for this movie. I seriously can't wait to see the gang back together, and see Star Wars again on the big screen. I have faith that they'll do this right, I mean, look how well Marvel's doing, and it's owned by Disney too. Plus, I'm a big fan of the new Star Trek films, so I have faith in the crew as well as the cast. I know that they'll impress us.
ReplyDelete-Tegan
Same here! I am so excited! Agreed, Disney plus Abrams should hopefully equal a great Star Wars movie.
Delete-James
To be honest, my feelings are a little mixed about this. I like how the sixth movie ended so I'm not sure about adding to the Star Wars saga. On the other hand, I'm really happy to see the original cast return. I just really hope it turns out to be good.
ReplyDeleteAfter the prequels, I don't actually mind making more movies considering the people behind it, particularly the original cast.
Delete-James
Yay! Now I can get properly excited for this movie! I agree -- I like that none of the newcomers are huge actors, but they're still mostly ones I know of and consider to be very talented. Definitely a fan of Andy Serkis. :D And I heard that Adam Driver is a villain, and Oscar Isaac is a Han Solo-type character, which sounds great.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, those are my thoughts as well. :) Yes, I heard about that as well (and wrote it in today's post). Isaac as a Han Solo type character could be amazing.
Delete-James
They definitely have the talent to pull it off. Now its just up to the story, writing, and screenplay.
ReplyDeleteOverall though? A pretty strong cast and there are no "Hayden Christianson"s in sight lol
They still have a few more roles to reveal though and I have heard rumblings about Lupita (from 12 years a slave) and Zac Efron, both of which I would be more than ok with in the roles.
I think JJ has the talent as well, but I think he really needs to dig deep and focus on this one. The Star Trek films are magnificent, but they lack strong conclusions and overarching plots. And lens flares. He's gotta leave those at home.
Considering the people behind the screenplay, I have confidence that the series will not disappoint.
DeleteI have heard about those casting choices, and they are definitely good ones.
I also agree the Trek movies. Star Wars is a deeper character driven story than Trek and everything should be connected.
-James
Not being one who is eagerly anticipating this like so many others, all I can think of how silly (and painful to the actors) it must have been to listen to Mayhew and Baker read their "dialogue" in the room with the full cast, especially since one (myself) would think that in this age their auditory parts would be relegated to a sound effects technician after the film was shot, leaving them nothing to say... Can Baker really make R2 sounds?
ReplyDeleteOkay I will explained. Even in the original Star Wars, all of R2 and Chewie's sound was done in post-production. Some of Mayhew's voice was added with animal sounds, and R2 is a combination beeps and baby sounds. They are there to know what their characters are going to be doing in the film, not necessarily "read" their lines.
Delete-James
I'm still leaving the trailers and the movie itself up with changing my mind about this whole new movie but I am relieved that The Big Three are at least returning to play themselves. That does give me some peace of mind... :D
ReplyDelete~Jamie
I am more positive than I thought I would be about these choices. :) But I can't wait for a trailer.
Delete-James
Harrison Ford will be playing Han Solo!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd Andy Serkis will be in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's all. And that's enough. I'm psyched.
Same here!
Delete-James