POTENTIALLY MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
According to MoviePilot, an anonymous inside source for Episode VII revealed the following:
– The full title of the film is ‘ Star Wars: Episode VII – The Order of the Jedi. The film was rumoured to be called ‘A New Dawn’ but that has recently been revealed to be an ‘in-canon’ novel to be released soon.
– Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong’o is also in the cast. She will be playing a character called ‘Asajj Ventress’. Nyong’o was not officially announced in yesterday’s report but was one of the first names to have signed up after Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford.
– Daisy Ridley will be playing a member of the Solo Family.
– Max Von Sydow will be providing his voice only to a character that will run right through the new Trilogy.
– Luke Skywalker will be the ‘Obi Wan’ type character of the new trilogy.
– Han Solo is the High Commander of the New Republic
– Leia is now the ‘Queen Regent of the Republic’
– The Big bad is not a Sith Lord
What is especially of interest to me is the inclusion of Asajj Ventress. She has been my favorite SW character since I first saw her in The Clone Wars and I’ve spent the past year developing a near-unhealthy obsession for her. In both the now-retconned comics and the canon Clone Wars series, her ultimate fate is left in the air, but both agree that she leaves the service of the Sith (she herself was never a Sith apprentice, though she aspired to be one during the war) and becomes more of a grey character than either good or bad.
That character development and depth sets the stage for all kinds of potential storylines for the former assassin. While I’ve come up with my own theories about her fate and where she ends up, if this rumor turns out to be true you can bet I will probably explode from joy.
Also of note is the rumor that Lupita Nyong’o might be playing her. Lupita’s name has been tossed around since initial casting calls, but this is the first mention of Asajj Ventress. Personally, I love the choice if it’s true.
Asajj would be rather old by the time the events of Episode VII unfold (she was around her late-twenties/early-thirties during the Clone War, and VII is to take place thirty years after Return of the Jedi), but there’s nothing to say that the filmmakers might slow down the aging rate of Dathomirians for the movie or have some other means of bringing her back in mind (flashbacks, cloning, etc).
Either way, I am extremely excited and anxious to see if any of these rumors have any truth to them. What about you guys?
Michelle Lawhorn
a.k.a. Stormraven, is what can only be described as an eclectic nerd. Her interests and expertise range from Doctor Who to Lord of the Rings, cosplay to comics, and Bollywood to opera to name just a few. When not raving about her fandoms, she can be found spending time with her family and adding to her ever-growing list of Things to Cosplay. She can currently be found searching for more Star Wars material to feed her newfound obsession with the Clone Wars.
Funny…I was just discussing the possibility of Ventress with someone at work today…