14 DAY TRIAL // There is a lot of speculation about Episode VII of the “Star Wars” franchise mostly because there is a lot of secrecy involved in the process. The significant fanbase of the franchise feels it's being kept in the dark and that generates a lot of rumors to feed the hungry people.
Disney Chairman Alan Horn recently sat for an interview at the Loyola Marymount School of Film and Television in Los Angeles, and he let slip a couple of essential details that are going to quench your thirst for updates in the process or, depending on your curiosity, might actually only whet your appetite.
In the interview, he claimed that the casting process was almost done and that the production team had begun shooting, something which somewhat contradicts the rumors that have circulated so far.
“We have a lot of them, it's not completely done yet,” said Horn when asked about the casting process, adding that it was actually one of the hardest parts of production. Obviously, people in attendance wanted to know some of the actors’ names, but the official was not going to spill.
It's a known fact that director J.J. Abrams has been keeping a tight lid on things that that is why people are still scratching their heads about who is going to be featured in this one. The only real confirmation so far has been “Girls” actor Adam Driver is going to play the villain.
Other names that have been considered for the lead role include Ed Speelers, John Boyega, Jesse Plemons, Matthew James Thomas and Ray Fisher. Also, there are some members of the original cast that are going to make a comeback.
Horn also dished on the shooting schedule. “We're actually shooting some of it now,” he said, which means that all previous speculation that filming would begin in May this year was a dud planted to throw the press and fans off track. He is probably referring to B-roll and location shots, which means that the actors aren't yet present on set.
Among the other prominent rumors that have been circulating so far is the one that Episode VII is going to mark the return to Tatooine, as insiders claimed the old moisture farms, still in place at the original shooting locations that have been decaying for years, were all of a sudden due for an overhaul.
Other than that, there is little information to go on at this point and it looks like people are going to have to wait until the movie hits theaters on December 18, 2015, or, at least, until the promotion process for the movie begins in earnest.