With J.J. Abrams having finally been announced as director of Star Wars: Episode VII, it is finally starting to feel as if this recent spate of crazy Star Wars news is real. There truly is a new film on its way, and with a promising writer and excellent director confirmed, plus backing by Walt Disney Pictures itself, there is no denying the fact that in a couple of years, we will be sitting down to watch more adventures in a galaxy far, far away.
And while I have never personally been crazy about the idea of a new Star Wars film, even I must admit that Abrams’ hiring has gotten me excited about the possibilities, especially where actors are concerned. Abrams is tremendous at discovering and nurturing major talents, and given how character-driven Star Wars has always been, I am extremely excited to see which actors and actresses will show up in the new film.
I have, therefore, put a list together of the performers I would be most interested in seeing in a new Star Wars film. This is not a particularly easy task, the difficulty being that Star Wars has, historically, introduced audiences to many new up-and-coming talents. For audiences in 1977, much of the joy of the original film came in discovering Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher, three little-known actors who took everyone by surprise with their great, iconic performances. The same happened in the prequel trilogy. While Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen were busts, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman were fantastic discoveries very few saw coming (Portman had impressed as a child actress, but Star Wars proved she had the chops to make it as an adult).
So while we can fantasize about current performers we would like to see don Jedi robs or Sith garb, the actors we will enjoy most when 2015 rolls around, if J.J. Abrams understands this series as well as we think he does, will be ones we have never heard of before. If Star Wars Episode VII is a success, Abrams needs to find fresh, new blood to populate the franchise, and if he does, the film will be a major treat indeed.
But for now, we can at least offer some wishful thinking on actors we are familiar with who could play roles in the new trilogy; it is not as if Star Wars has not employed countless recognizable faces in the past. These are the 10 performers I, personally, would be most excited to see in a new Star Wars film. I have tried to stay away from acting legends or major faces from other franchises – having already cannibalized the Star Trek director, Star Wars need not incorporate aspects of other notable series – and also weighed the list in favor of younger performers, as Star Wars heroes are typically young adults.
And I did, as a word of warning, totally cheat on my #1 choice. But we shall get to that in due time…
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