Though some already knew of him from Friday Night Lights, it wasn’t until his role as Todd on Breaking Bad (and that scene where he killed the young boy) that people started taking notice of up and coming actor Jesse Plemons. With those two shows now safely under his belt, it looks like he’s ready to give his career a bit of a boost on the silver screen, as the actor is being eyed to lead Star Wars: Episode VII.
No word on who he’ll play yet but he has taped an audition that went over very well and will be meeting with director J.J. Abrams for his second audition. He is also said to be the top choice for the part that he’s after.
I’m quite familiar with Plemons due to his work on Breaking Bad, and to a lesser extent on Friday Night Lights, and from what I’ve seen, I’m not too confident in this casting decision. Giving a massive franchise like Star Wars to a relative unknown like Plemons is a pretty risky move. It’s not that he’s a bad actor (some of his scenes in the final episodes of Breaking Bad were actually quite good), and we all knew that Disney was looking for some younger, up and coming talent to lead the new film, but I’m just not sure how Jesse Plemons rose to the top of their list. Especially considering the fact that there have been a couple very solid names floating around in recent months in regards to who will lead the film.
Of course, Plemons’ casting isn’t confirmed just yet, and it might not pan out. Either way though, once we hear something official we’ll be sure to let you know.
Tell us, are you familiar with Plemons and if so, what do you think about him leading Star Wars: Episode VII?