A few months ago we reported that part of the team which made Gareth Evans’ Raid films so impactful were joining Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens.

No further details have been released concerning Iko Uwais & Yayan Ruhian’s roles but today another actor famed for his martial artistry is being rumoured to be joining that Galaxy far, far away.

Rightly hailed for his recent work in the Ip Man films Donnie Yen is reported to be heading to London to begin work as a ‘bad-ass’ Jedi for Rian Johnson’s Episode VIII according to Apple Daily.

As well as seemingly confirming Harrison Ford’s return for another film (itself the subject of many rumours) Yen’s role as a Jedi throws up a number of questions.

Johnson is rumoured to be starting filming on Episode VIII in January so the reports has him arriving months early. Speculation, now part of the update to the original story, posits that he may be filming instead for Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One anthology film.

donnie yen

The problem here is that it has been stated that the first anthology film would have no Jedi, and it is unlikely that any characters from the Anthology films would cross over thirty years later to the Sequel Trilogy.

Either this is for screen tests, or to begin training for the 2016 filming dates, or that he’s in fact not up for a role as a Jedi at all – there’s nothing being confirmed here. Yen is a phenomenon and this, if true, would be his biggest Hollywood film so far – the emergence of the Chinese film market in recent years certainly adds credence to this rumour.