New Star Wars: Episode VII Rumor Brings Two New Actors Into The Mix

Until J.J. Abrams, Disney and Lucasfilm actually announce who will be starring in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII we will continue to hear a seemingly-endless stream of casting rumors - and that continues today. Following up on their claims that actors like Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron have been looked at for roles in the new Star Wars film, Latino Review is now saying that the production is now considering actors Alex Pettyfer and Rachel Hurd-Wood for roles in the sci-fi movie.

While the site doesn't have any information regarding the character that Pettyfer is going out for, their guess is that he is trying out for the part of Luke Skywalker's son (which, mind you, isn't a character that has been confirmed to be in the movie). What's more, the site adds that Gosling wound up turning down the part he was "offered," which is what may have opened the door to Pettyfer being called in.

But while the site's sources don't seem to have any confirmed details about the character that Pettyfer is looking to play, they are a bit more specific about Hurd-Wood's potential part. The rumor says that she has gone in to read for the "daughter of Princess Leia (and presumably Han Solo)." The article stresses that the actress doesn't have the part yet (a part that may or may not actually exist), but adds that she is the only one who has gone in thus far.

All of these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, but it's worth mentioning that both Pettyfer and Hurd-Wood do seem to fit descriptions of characters that were found in a casting call back in June. That report said that the production was looking for a "Late-teen female," a "young twenty-something male" and a "second young female, also late teens." At 21 Pettyfer seems like a match, and while Hurd-Wood just recently turned 21 she can probably still get away with playing a teenager.

Pettyfer has gotten some solid parts in high-profile films in the last couple years, taking starring roles in movies like I Am Number Four, Beastly, In Time and Magic Mike, but has yet to really have his big breakout. He can currently be seen in theaters playing a hyper-violent plantation owner in Lee Daniels' The Butler, and is now in production on the remake of Endless Love, neither of which really seem like a stepping stone to Star Wars. Hurd-Wood, meanwhile, got her start playing Wendy in the 203 live-action version of Peter Pan and has since been featured in movies like Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Dorian Gray and Solomon Kane. A role in Star Wars would easily be er most high profile role yet and could completely change her career.

While we remain skeptical about the validity of this news, do you think casting these two actors would be a good move for the film? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.