Star Wars 7: Casting Not Yet Complete
"No, there is another..."
Yesterday saw the official - and succinct - announcement of the cast of Star Wars Episode VII, bringing a number of surprises, and the exciting revelation of some serious talent, including Attack The Block's John Boyega, new Coens darling Oscar Isaac and Max Von Sydow. The announcement seemingly put paid to some of the more virulent rumours - like the casting of Zac Efron and Breaking Bad's Jesse Plemons - though there is always the possibility of later announcements designed to attract more hype. Naturally, the revelation of only two female cast members, in Carrie Fisher and newcomer Daisy Ridley has already attracted accusations of gender bias - something that the original trilogy was also criticised for, of course. But all criticisms aside, as The Hollywood Reporter have suggested that those two female actors are not the full story, as the original casting breakdowns released ahead of the open casting call has two female parts; so it would seem that we are yet to see another casting revelation. That casting call revealed the two available roles as Late-teen female, independent, good sense of humour, fit and A second young female, also late teens, tough, smart and fit," and unless there was a significant rewrite between casting and the recent completion of the script, we're only seeing half of this particular story. THR say the missing role is "substantial" but Mashable claim that it will initially be minor, with an eye for development in later episodes. In purely speculative terms, the fact that Ridley is sitting between Harrison Ford and Fisher in the casting picture might suggest that she is their daughter, which would mean that the open role could be the much-discussed granddaughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which was said to have been earmarked for a minority actress (hence the rumours attaching both Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Lupita Nyongo). Meanwhile, SlashFilm have pointed out that the announcement conspicuously failed to mention Billy Dee Williams, whose Lando Calrissian was a rebel leader by the end of Return Of The Jedi, and a significant presence, so it's unlikely he's just going to evaporate into thin air. It would have been good for fans to see his name revealed alongside the rest of the classic cast, though that doesn't necessarily discount his inclusion in the cast. Are you happy with the Star Wars Episode VII casting news? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.