By Robert “Rob Base” Greenwood
In the annals of Geek history, I can’t think of anything more controversial than the casting of the newest Star War films.
Ever since George Lucas sold the rights to Disney, the Star Wars community have been very split in all the rumblings online.
First it was J.J. Abrams being brought in as director, then the hint of the original cast reprising their roles.
Then the most recent issue was 7 would not follow the expanded universe. Yet, here we are a few days before Star Wars annual celebration and a huge bomb was dropped with a single image:
The cast is complete and the film is a go. Let’s take a look at the newest actors to become apart of the Star Wars Universe.
John Boyega: Best known for Attack the Block, the 2011 film in which a teenage gang defends their south London block from aliens. Boyega is 22-years old.
Daisy Ridley: Probably the least known of all the cast members, Ridley has primarily done British TV work (Mr Selfridge, Silent Witness) along with these series of shorts that a young actors’ production company posted online.
Adam Driver: Rumors that Driver had been cast as a “Darth Vader-like” villain began weeks ago, so the confirmation of his casting is no surprise. The 30-year-old is known mostly for this work on the HBO series Girls and small indie films. He has the voice and acting chops to pull off a villainous character.
Oscar Isaac: After years of playing supporting roles in films like Robin Hood and Drive, Isaac took the eponymous lead in the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis.
Andy Serkis: As Gollum nee Smeagol, King Kong, and Caesar the chimpanzee who would rule us all, Serkis has established himself as an actor so eerily good at imitation. He is no stranger to CGI and has the acting chops to make you believe it.
Domhnall Gleeson: Gleeson, who played a Weasley in Harry Potter and a simpering bandit in the Coen brothers’ True Grit. He adds in the wow factor in the younger fan base who may not connect with the original cast.
Max Von Sydow: Sydow’s resume reads like a brief summary of true greatness and diversity. He was the knight in The Seventh Seal, a priest in The Exorcist, and Harry Haller in Steppenwolf. He was in Conan the Barbarian, David Lynch’s Dune, Ghostbusters II, and has played Jesus. Not to forget his masterful performance as Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon.
Add these amazing talents to Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker and we are shaping up to make us all scream at the title scroll.
So, who are you most excited for in this new film?
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