There have been so many rumors tied to the production of J.J. Abrams’ wildly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens that it’s hard to remember them all, let alone keeping any of them straight. I had forgotten the unusual rumor that 007 himself, Daniel Craig, might be in The Force Awakens until Simon Pegg (also rumored to be in the movie) brought it up… possibly by accident.
UPDATE: Pegg was contacted by Collider, and said the following:
Why is everyone leaping on this? It was a rumor last summer, wasn’t it? I read it in the paper. It may be untrue, like most of the other rumors, like Cumberbatch and Cruise being in it."
From Earlier: Simon Pegg was speaking with The Sun on the red carpet of his London premiere for Man Up (via the UK Independent), and got into his potential involvement in the film. But when asked if maybe he snuck into the movie as a Stormtrooper, Pegg revealed:
I wasn’t a Stormtrooper. Daniel Craig, he was a Stormtrooper. … I shouldn’t have said that."
Now, the speculation begins. Was Simon Pegg pulling the collective leg of the eager press? Possibly. The Sun isn’t entirely trustworthy, but this story has instant legs. However, this isn’t Pegg’s first rodeo, by any stretch. He understands the importance of protecting a secret, having also been involved in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness, which went to great lengths to protect the identity of Benedict Cumberbatch’s character. Pegg is savvy, so he could be throwing handfuls of misdirection at the media, doing his old pal J.J. Abrams a favor.
It’s also possible, though, that Pegg momentarily dropped his guard, and said something in conversation that he wasn’t supposed to say. The Independent does follow up with a quote from a source with knowledge of the situation, who goes on the record to say:
Daniel [Craig] asked for some sort of secret cameo role - and was happy to have his name left off the posters. Fans will love trying to work out which covered-up character is him."
So it’s extremely likely that while Daniel Craig is in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we’ll never see his face. Maybe we’ll hear his voice, filtered through a Stormtrooper’s mask. For that matter, we’re expecting to see Simon Pegg in some role in the film, as he has been coy about a possible walk-on role in his good friend Abrams’ massive-scale blockbuster.
The thing about Star Wars is that it doesn’t need the buzz that comes with celebrity cameos to lure people in to the audience. No one is going to this movie because they think they might spot Daniel Craig in the background. I’d much rather believe that Craig – like Simon Pegg – is a massive Star Wars fan who used his celebrity and influence to secure an obscure, walk-on part in the London-based production so that he, personally, could be a part of geek history. Look for him, and all of the amazing cast, when The Force Awakens opens in theaters on December 18.
