Is John Boyega Going From ‘The Block’ To A Galaxy Far, Far Away?

The hero of Attack the Block might become a Jedi knight.

I’m really curious what is going on with casting for Star Wars Episode VII.  The movie starts production in just a few short months, but apparently the lead role hasn’t even been cast yet.  However according to Variety, JJ Abrams has assembled a strong list of candidates for the role.

In addition to John Boyega (SO GOOD as Moses in Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block), Jesse Plemons (who you might know as Todd from Breaking Bad), Downton Abbey‘s Ed Speleers and stage actors Matthew James Thomas and Ray Fisher.

So it would look like Abrams wants an at least somewhat unknown for the role, supposedly a Jedi knight and possibly the son of Luke Skywalker.  But what impresses me about this lineup is how much talent is here.  I can’t speak to the stage guys, but I can say both Boyega and Plemons are awesome actors, and both refreshingly left-of-center choices, which would probably compliment Adam Driver’s new villain character nicely.

The squalls of casting rumor bullshit are one of my favorite aspects of a new Star Wars movie, but I’m actually happy that instead of the bombastic rumors that stemmed from the prequels (like, Jet Li, Sith Lord), the Episode VII rumors are at least drawing on really talented, interesting actors who could bring something new and fresh to the Star Wars universe.  For me at least, that makes it a bit easier to keep the good faith going for this project.

Source: Variety