Lens flares and frustrating “mystery boxes” aren’t the only things that constantly pop up in the filmography of J.J. Abrams. Another thing that appears quite often is Heroes and Masters of Sex actor Greg Grunberg, a childhood friend of Abrams’ who has shown up in almost all of the director’s cinematic works to date.
He’s had roles in Felicity and Alias, played Oceanic Flight 815 pilot Seth Norris in the Lost pilot, is in Mission: Impossible III, and even has small cameos in both Super 8 and Star Trek. He was, however, noticeably absent from Star Trek Into Darkness, which wasn’t very well received by fans…. That can’t be a coincidence, can it?!
Now it looks like the working relationship between Abrams and Grunberg will extend beyond our galaxy and into a famous one far, far away, as according to Grunberg himself, he has a role in but can’t say much about it:
Yes @smgulz it IS safe to assume I have a role in #StarWarsEpisodeVII – If I say more than that, JJ will have me killed.
— Greg Grunberg (@greggrunberg) September 11, 2014
The only question is, who will Grunberg play? My guess is he’ll have a small role or simple cameo. Maybe he’ll voice a protocol droid, or play some soon-to-be-dead Stormtrooper.
In any case, keep a watchful eye out for Grunberg when Star Wars: Episode VII hits theaters on December 18th, 2015. The actor will join a cast that includes returning saga stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, and Kenny Baker. New additions to the popular franchise include John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Andy Serkis, Adam Driver, Oscaar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow.