The upcoming Star Wars Episode VII has become one of the most talked-about projects in recent months, following the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney to the tune of bn. late last year.
J.J. Abrams was officially confirmed to direct the next instalment in the franchise back in January, and since then we’ve been hearing rumours about who from the original films might be returning.
Though nothing has yet been confirmed officially, there have been reports that the film will focus on the children of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. And since before then, there have of course been discussions of the original leading trio – Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher – coming back to the fold for Star Wars Episode VII.
As with the storyline, nothing has been confirmed through Lucasfilm or Disney yet. But in a recent interview with Palm Beach Illustrated, Fisher seems to self-confirm that she will be reprising her role as Leia.
“Disney is going to continue the Star Wars saga, producing movies set to hit theaters starting in 2015. Can you confirm whether you’ll reprise the role of Princess Leia?
Yes.”
I think this self-confirmation ought to be taken with at least a pinch of salt. If you want to dissect the question and response at a closer level, the question posed simply asks if she can confirm, and doesn’t actually ask her directly if she will be reprising the Princess Leia role. But at the same time, semantics aside, it does look like she’s confirming herself for the seventh film in the franchise.
And if she’s coming back, smart money would suggest that Solo and Skywalker will be right alongside her.
Abrams is set to direct from a script penned by Michael Arndt (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Little Miss Sunshine). And working in parallel to them will be Simon Kinberg and Lawrence Kasdan, who are set to expand the Star Wars universe by writing character-driven spin-off films.
Star Wars Episode VII has tentatively been scheduled for release in 2015, but following Abrams’ boarding of the project, we may well see that release date pushed back a little. More as we get it.
