Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens directed by J.J. Abrams is, obviously, the seventh installment in the Star Wars movie line up. So what all do we know about this upcoming film, well, not as much as I would like. But here is some of what we do know:
- It will be in theaters December 18th, 2015.
- It is directed by J.J. Abrams.
- It is written by J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, and George Lucas.
- It is composed by the great John Williams.
- It is set thirty years after Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi
- There will be actors in it.
Yes, that’s right, there will be actors in it and they will even play characters. The following is a list of the principal actors and the characters they play. Warning: some information is speculative and there may be discrepancies.
- Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)
- Harrison Ford (Han Solo)
- Carrie Fisher (Leia)
- Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
- Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
- Kenny Baker (R2-D2)
- John Boyega (Finn)
- Daisy Ridley (Rey)
- Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron)
- Mark Stanley (Clan Leader)
- Adam Driver (Kylo Ren: Speculative)
- Domhnall Gleeson (The General: Speculative)
- Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma: Speculative)
- Lupita Nyong’o (Rose: Speculative)
- Andy Serkis (Uber: Speculative)
- Max Von Sydow (The Vicar: Speculative)
- Jessica Henwick (?)
- Christina Chong (?)
With so little information out it is hard to get a good idea of who some of the new characters are and what the roles of the returning characters will be, but there is some ideas out there. Since it is rumored Harrison Ford will have a stunt double but Mark Hamill will not, this could lead you to believe that Han will see more action than Luke. Also, there is now great speculation over the second trailer. I for one think that Abrams and Lucas are smart enough to put just enough content in the trailer to cause a buzz but not so much as to give anything away. So if you want to read the latest rumor then you’ll have to find it somewhere else.
The new movie has a lot to live up to, with there probably being even more pressure after the prequels. The originals were excellent, nearly impossible to beat, and the prequels left a lot to be desired. So not only do you have the people saying that it needs to be as good as the first, you also have people saying that Lucas is trying to squeeze the franchise dry with another half hearted attempt at greatness, I’m looking at you The Phantom Menace. I for one am hopeful that it will be great. Not original trilogy great, but I expect it to easily get onto my top ten movie list (the original trilogy being at the top.)
In closing, I think Abrams and Lucas will pull this one off, no matter what the cast, setting, or characters are, and it would certainly be a shame if these two greats can’t. I really feel though, that it just can’t be as bad as The Phantom Menace. People can and will always speculate this and that but at the end of the day we are all going to go watch it anyway and find out, so guessing how it will be doesn’t do much good. My biggest question though is, will they, no, can they, stop at one?