The 4th was with us this May bank holiday, with 'Star Wars Day' heralding the release of a wave of new information and pictures from The Force Awakens from Vanity Fair. The biggest reveal was the official confirmation that Girls' Adam Driver would indeed be playing 'broadsaber'-wielding villain Kylo Ren. This had been widely speculated, but now we know for sure it's Driver under that mask, with a picture of him on set revealed as well, showing an unmasked Ren accompanied by First Order snowtroopers, on a frozen planet that plays home to their secret base (it being Hoth would be an ironic turn of events). Ren is expected to be the film's main antagonist, and the teasers released so far have shown him not only with his controversial weapon, but also commanding an army of stormtroopers in what appears to be a raid on a village. The actor had previously been spotted on set dressed as a Rebel, causing some confusion as to who exactly he would be playing, and which side he'd be on, but that seems to have been another case of classic J.J. Abrams misdirection. The details and images come from a Vanity Fair Star Wars special, which also revealed the characters played by Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie. It was confirmed that Nyong'o would be playing a motion-capture CGI pirate by the name of Maz Kanata, while Christie will indeed be the effortlessly cool-looking Chrome Trooper spotted in the second teaser, known as Captain Phasma. Elsewhere in the Star Wars universe, it was confirmed that Rian Johnson's Episode VIII would be shooting in the UK, with the film slated for release on 26 May 2017. The Force Awakens, as you likely won't need reminding, comes out on December 18 this year.
NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far.
A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.
