Star Wars Casting Rumors Focusing on Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron; Geeks In a Panic: What Happened With Leonardo DiCaprio? Is This Some Kind of Jedi Mind Trick?
Star Wars casting rumors for Episode VII are abuzz with word that Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron may have auditioned for a part in the heavily anticipatd Star Wars: Episode VII. This is hot on the heels of word that Leonardo Di Caprio turned down a part and that J.J. Abrams quit the movie. Geeks were going nuts all over San Diego this weekend as Star Wars casting rumors brought Comic-Con to the Dark Side, hitting the floor like Jedi knights on a Death Star.
The Star Wars casting rumors also come soon after Ryan Gosling said he was going to take a time out from acting. The gossips started after Latin Times reported that Gosling made a trip to the studio to have a conversation about playing Luke Skywalker’s son in the newest episode of the Star Wars franchise.
The Zac Efron Star Wars casting rumors all have to do with him being handled by Disney. The Mouse is expected to make a Star Wars casting announcement at its annual D23 Expo next month.
The other Star Wars Episode 7 casting rumors centers around a report that Leonardo DiCaprio turned down a part in the new movie. Published reports said that a part in the new Star Wars was offered to Leonardo DiCaprio, but he decided to pass on it. DiCaprio says he’s next scheduled to work on a movie called “Robotech,” which is still in development.
This isn’t the first time DiCaprio torned down a role in the iconic Star Wars Series. Back in 2001, DiCaprio told Shortlist that he met with George Lucas about playing Anakin Skywalker in "Episode II: Attack of the Clones." DiCaprio said, "I did have a meeting with George Lucas about that. I just didn't feel ready to take that dive. At that point."
In May, DiCaprio told MTV back in May that"I'm a huge 'Star Wars' fan, a huge 'Star Wars' fan. [Abrams] is an unbelievable choice. I think he's going to destroy it. I cannot wait to see what he does." But "I'm probably a little too old. I've got to play an older Chewbacca or something like that or a tall Yoda." Although, “It's never really a conscious effort, and it's not something I'd be closed off to doing. It's always a matter of how good the material is, and to tell you the truth, I've never really chosen projects just to switch up genres or try something that I've never tried before."
But all this is really nothing. Actors come and go, it’s the director that really makes the film and the director of Star Wars Episode 7 is the immensely successful J.J. Abrams, hot off his take on “Star Trek.” There was gossip flying all around Comic-Con last weekend that J.J. Abrams was planning to quit Star Wars Episode 7.
Devin Faraci, a reporter covering Comic-Con reported that "tons of rumors that JJ Abrams is on the verge of dropping out of Star Wars" were falling on the heads of geeks all over San Diego.
He reported, "This has been something I've heard for a while now, and from multiple insiders. I know that he didn't want to shoot the movie in England and was overruled, but that happened a while ago. This weekend at Comic Con I continued to hear these whispers. No director for [Star] Trek 3 has been found yet - might Abrams end up coming back after all, leaving Star Wars to someone else? I'm expecting Star Wars news out of the German Star Wars Celebration at the end of the month - if there is some sort of announcement of a title or casting and Abrams isn't there, start wondering."
LucasFilm immediately derided the dark forces. Quickly putting out a statement to IGN saying the rumors were false and probably some kind of Jedi mind trick. J.J. Abrams is still on board for Episode 7
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A LucasFilm rep said"There is no truth to the rumor. JJ is having a great time working on the script and is looking forward to going into production next year."
Other casting rumors listed Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill coming back to space.
"Star Wars Episode VII" will be released in 2015. Shooting starts next year.