Over the weekend a swath of rather obvious sequel news surfaced beginning with a confirmation to a previous rumor in which Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn said Star Wars: Episode VII has in fact started filming and, in fact, a lot of the cast is in place though there are still some roles to be filled.
Horn notes, in the video from the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television’s “Hollywood Masters” series (view to the right), one of the biggest issues with the film was the screenplay and making sure it was right. “It’s all about the screenplay… It has to be screenplay, screenplay, screenplay,” he said.
Co-written by director J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back), little is known about the plot or even the cast. While original trilogy stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and others are expected to at least have a small role, the only casting that seems to be a sure thing (and even it’s still in question) is that of “Girls” star Adam Driver as one of the film’s villains.
The only story detail we know for sure, which Horn reiterates, is the film picks up “where [Return of the Jedi] left off — and where 6 left off is 35 years ago by the time this is released.”
Of course, the filming that’s already underway could simply be the rumored plates Abrams was said to be shooting in Iceland.
However, given the way Star Wars fans love their geeky rituals, all expectation is an official cast and title announcement will come on May 4 (aka Star Wars Day). Stay tuned.
