Star Wars: Episode VII Might Cast Adam Driver As The Film’s Villain
According to Variety, Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams are close to signing a deal with actor Adam Driver to appear in Star Wars: Episode VII. It’s believed that he would play one of the film’s villains, who is described to be “in the vein of iconic Star Wars villain Darth Vader.” Darth Hipster, if you ask me. Variety says that a deal could be finalized within the next few days.
Adam Driver is getting a lot of attention these days for minor roles in prestigious films such as Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, Noah Baumbauch’s Frances Ha, and the Coen Bros’ Inside Llewyn Davis. Most notably, Adam Driver is a series regular on HBO’s Girls with Lena Dunham.
Variety’s sources say that Disney and Lucasfilm were considering Hugo Weaving and Michael Fassbender for the role, but Kennedy and Abrams landed on Adam Driver instead, and Driver would likely sign on for the entire sequel trilogy, assuming all parties can make the scheduling work. Driver was recently nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Girls, and the HBO TV series will start production on its fourth season sometime this spring in Brooklyn, New York.
If Driver is cast in Episode VII, this is certainly a bold choice. Driver is really good at playing a hipster asshole type, considering his role in Girls and Frances Ha, so you have to wonder what Disney and Lucasfilm see in him that makes them think he’s right to play a Star Wars villain. Hugo Weaving and Michael Fassbender seem like more obvious choices, but it will be interesting to see what Driver can do with this role.
If Variety’s story proves true, Driver would be the first actor to be officially cast in Star Wars: Episode VII. While Variety is a more than solid source, take this with a grain of salt until Disney and Lucasfilm make it official.
Meanwhile, there are rumors that Gary Oldman and Benedict Cumberbatch are also being considered for Episode VII, and much of the main cast from the original trilogy is expected to return as well, including Ian McDiarmid, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, and Warwick Davis.
