Here's the Cast
Once in a while, after months of nothing, comes a breakthrough. It is that time that defines the making of Star Wars movies, not the months of endless rumors and nitpicking. The first, was obviously the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney in October 2012, and the announcement that there would be new Star Wars movies. The second came in January 2013, when J.J. Abrams was announced as director. The other announcements, like the release date or the type of film being used, were not as important. We waited for the third announcement.
We got it.
Lucasfilm officially released the casting list for Episode VII on Tuesday, April 29, and gave away more about Episode VII in two seconds than it has in nearly two years. The publicity photo shows 13 actors, along with J.J. Abrams and the crew. The future of Star Wars will be partly carried by these 13 people that comprise the cast. Let's take a look.
Mark Hamill
To no one's surprise, Mark Hamill made it in. He is seated at the far left of the photo talking with Anthony Daniels. Immediately after the announcement, he tweeted: "Finally I can officially say: I'M IN!". He later tweeted: "UK table read- I was knocked out by the diverse & extraordinarily talented new cast members. WOW they're good! The saga is in superb hands."
We hope so.
Carrie Fisher
Another obvious choice. She is sitting between Peter Mayhew and Daisy Ridley. More Leia!
Harrison Ford
He is reclining next to J.J. Abrams, nonchalantly chatting. He was probably the wild card of the original cast. However, it would be unthinkable to have Star Wars without Ford (well, besides the prequels. But that's why they were so bad. They had no strong characters like Han Solo...oh, never mind). Ford liked Star Wars the least of the cast. He came around to being in this movie, though. He might not have wanted to at first, but money always wins. Did I say that out loud?
Anthony Daniels
He's at the bottom right. He's C-3PO. He's back. Yup.
Kenny Baker
Kenny Baker isn't in this shot per say, but right behind J.J. Abrams' head is a model of R2-D2. He was already confirmed, anyway.
Peter Mayhew
The last of the original cast, Peter Mayhew has seemed to recover from his double knee surgery. We look forward to see him as Chewbacca onscreen and awesome.
John Boyega
Boyega is seated at the top left, looking at Harrison Ford. Boyega is an unknown, with his only credit a role in a film called Attack the Block, in which British gangsters defend their block from aliens. No, seriously, that's the plot. We'll see how he does.
Daisy Ridley
Ridley is seen in between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher (Han and Leia daughter, perhaps?) She has no film credits, other than the yet-unreleased Sprawl. She is the only other female besides Carrie Fisher, and even though it is reported that another female lead will be cast, this is worrying. J.J. Abrams seems unwilling to introduce more women into the Star Wars universe, leaving mostly white males. And Chewbacca.
Adam Driver
The star of the TV show Girls, it is almost certain that he will play a villain, presumably Darth Vader-esque. One thing is for certain, he will not ruin Star Wars due to his bad acting. However, the same was said about Hayden Christiansen before Attack of the Clones was released.
Oscar Isaac
Seated next to John Boyega, Oscar Isaac is known for 2013's Inside Llewyn Davis and is yet another white male to add to the Star Wars cast. Regardless, he's not a bad actor.
Andy Serkis
Seated next to Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis is no newcomer. He is a motion capture actor, famous for roles like Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It's too bad he will probably be CGI'd into the movie, but he has played many iconic roles, and it will look better than the prequels. He can bring life into computer generated characters.
Domhnall Gleeson
Also known as Bill Weasley, Domhnall Gleeson is sitting with his back to the camera in the center. Star Wars needs redheads!
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow was not in the picture, but he was announced as being in the movie. He has played roles in The Excorcist, Hannah and Her Sisters, 3 Days of the Condor, and Flash Gordon. He was an unexpected choice, but is an Oscar winner and will bring depth to the table.
My final thoughts: This is a tremendous moment in the production process, to reveal to the public the cast. However, the lack of diversity is disappointing, and the female to male ratio is skewed. J.J. Abrams could have changed everything in Star Wars, yet chose to stick to a formula that is outdated. It's 2014, people! Wake up! I think Carrie Fisher talking to Daisy Ridley in this photo will be the only moment when Episode VII passes the Bechdel Test.
However, there was something extremely unsettling about the picture...
Where's Lando?!
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