'Star Wars Episode 7' Rumors, Cast & Spoilers: Production Hires Three New Actors: Who Are They?
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has cast a trio of martial arts actors that appeared in the foreign film hit "The Raid."
According to Twitch, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman, from "The Raid" and "The Raid 2" films were secretly cast in the upcoming film due out this year. However, the actors have not confirmed.
When asked about his work on Star Wars, Iko told the Tribune news, "No comment from me, it's not within my ability to announce it." Yayan also failed to answer phone calls and Iko's manager said he was on break.
The new casting would not be much of a surprise, especially since Ray Park played the iconic Darth Maul. Martial arts fight choreography has become a standard for a number of franchises and it is likely Uwais, Ruhian and Rahman will be doing lightsaber work.
The prequels had more intricate work in the lightsaber fights that called for a number of stunts. Based on the first trailer, it can be inferred that there will be a lot of action sequences and the lightsaber will be implemented in the film.
The casting of these three stars is also something new for "Star Wars," especially given the lack of Asian characters the franchise has had throughout the years. It was reported at one point that George Lucas considered legendary actor Toshiro Mifune for both the roles of Obi-wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. Additionally, there has been speculation that the original trilogy was inspired by martial arts.
The new "Star Wars" film is the most anticipated film of 2015 and one that is expected to make millions. Details about the plot have been kept under wraps but director J.J. Abrams said it was one of the biggest challenges of his career. During the National Board of Review Ceremony, the director said, "The cast and crew of 'The Force Awakens' were respectful and incredibly kind to each other during this shoot, which was a very challenging shoot."
He added, "We can't keep everything secret, obviously. We do the best we can to keep things as limited in distribution -- scripts and things like that. What you'd expect." Abrams is known for keeping his plots and his casts under wraps even though things are usually unveiled online.
"Episode VII" stars Daisy Ridley ("Lifesaver"), Oscar Isaac ("A Most Violent Year," "Inside Llewyn Davis"), Carrie Fisher ("Star Wars: A New Hope"), Mark Hamill ("Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"), Harrison Ford ("Indiana Jones"), Adam Driver ("Girls"), Domhnall Gleeson ("Frank," "About Time"), Lupita Nyong'o ("12 Years a Slave"), Warwick Davis ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"), Max von Sydow ("Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"), Anthony Daniels ("Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back"), John Boyega ("Attack the Block") and Andy Serkis ("Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," "King Kong").
Disney will release "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on Dec. 18. The film will be released alongside "Sisters" starring Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph. No other film has been dated but it is expected that a number of awards contenders will release on this date.
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