If you’ve been waiting on more official news about “Star Wars: Episode VII,” here it is! Two new cast members have been added to the team that already includes the main cast of the original trilogy as well as newcomers to the franchise Adam Driver, Lupita N’yongo, and Gwendolyn Christie.
After conducting an open casting call and seeing over 37,000 hopefuls in the US and UK, Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen joined the cast.
From the official Star Wars website:
Crystal Clarke is an American actress studying in Glasgow, UK, who has both stage and screen acting experience and is soon to be seen in her first feature,The Moon and the Sun (to be released in 2015). British actor Pip Andersen is a skilled practitioner of parkour, a discipline that involves propelling oneself through any given environment with incredible grace and agility. Pip recently demonstrated this remarkable skill in a Spider-Man ad for Sony.
“The Star Wars universe has always been about discovering and nurturing young talent and in casting Episode VII we wanted to remain absolutely faithful to this tradition. We are delighted that so many travelled to see us at the open casting calls and that we have been able to make Crystal and Pip a part of the film,” said producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
Meanwhile, principal photography continues at Pinewood Studios in London after wrapping on location in Abu Dhabi in May.
In August, the team will take a brief two-week hiatus while adjustments to the current production schedule are made as actor Harrison Ford recovers from a leg injury. Harrison is doing well and is looking forward to returning to the set soon. Shooting remains on track to wrap in the fall with the film scheduled for release on December 18, 2015.
There you have it. Two new cast members and the release date remains unchanged.
Also, no information on who the new actors will be portraying. Though Andersen’s parkour abilities would make him perfect casting for a Jedi Knight. Or a Sith or enemy of some type, similar to Ray Park’s casting as Darth Maul? But, I prefer not to speculate too much. All will be revealed eventually.
Patience, we must have.
(photo via StarWars.com)