Now that we’ve had a weekend for the dust to settle after the announcement of J.J. Abrams as director of Star Wars: Episode VII, it’s time for some more details about the film to arrive. It’s likely that one of the first things Abrams will want to get sorted out is his cast, but is there already an actress involved?
According to /Film, when Matthew Vaughn was still in talks to direct he pitched the idea of having Chloë Grace Moretz in the lead role. So the question is, even though Vaughn isn’t at the helm, is Moretz still in talks for the lead? Also, does this mean that Michael Arndt’s script has a female lead or was that just an idea of Vaughn’s?
Assuming for a minute that Vaughn was following information he had about Arndt’s script, I would love to see Moretz as the lead. She’s one of the most talented young actresses working right now, and gets better with every role. Not many major franchises have a female lead (The Hunger Games is the only major one currently active), so it’d be interesting to see Star Wars go that route. Obviously the franchise appeals to both genders, and there have been female Jedi in both the Clone Wars series and some of the expanded universe novels, so it isn’t as if having a female lead would be some radical idea.
Some may say that the 15-year-old Moretz is still too young to lead such a big trilogy, but she may be quite a bit older than by the time production actually gets underway. Since Episode VII was announced, all the talk has been about a summer 2015 release, but THR says that isn’t a certainty. Abrams has yet to commit to that date, so it can be changed if the production process requires it.
I hope the film doesn’t get pushed from summer 2015 though, as that release would guarantee one of the greatest summers of movies ever. The Nerdpocalypse Summer, as some are calling it, will feature the epic comic-film showdown between Justice League and The Avengers 2. If Star Wars releases then as well, I may never leave my theater.
Of course, one down-side (or plus, depending on how you look at it) to Abrams directing is we’re in for a long wait with very little information revealed. Abrams is always extremely secretive regarding his films, and something as highly anticipated as Star Wars should be no exception.
What do you think of Star Wars: Episode VII possibly having a female lead? Is that something you’d want to see? Would you be able to endure a longer wait if the film is pushed back from 2015? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.