10 Lessons Star Wars Episode 7 Can Learn From The Prequels

10. The Dark Side Of Casting Unknowns

Two words: Jake Lloyd. Two more: Hayden Christensen. Casting and character are not only important to the fan base and to the series, but to the overall quality of the film. Star Wars made celebrities out of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, who starred opposite established stars Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing. But more important than celebrity, these characters resonated with audiences. We cared about these characters, and they became part of our social consciousness. In the prequels, talents like Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor would conceivably bring weight to a film cast with an unknown in the role of Anakin Skywalker. The casting of Anakin was critical, but the results failed to find favor with both fans and critics alike. The common complaint was that Anakin was a whiner, but it went far beyond that. It seemed that neither actor embodied the essence of a character who would one day become Darth Vader. Blame the script, blame the direction, but most of all, blame the casting. The careful casting of new characters is among the most critical element in creating a worthy successor to The Return of the Jedi. After nailing a cast for Star Trek that fans of that series embraced, J.J. Abrams is perhaps the best man for this job, and the most likely director to pull this off.