We have known for some time now that Girls co-star Adam Driver was going to be playing a "villain" in J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII. And many – myself included – assumed that Driver would be evil from the very beginning, a vicious threat that original stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher would have to do away with. However, that might not be entirely accurate, and the collapse of Driver’s soul might be the backbone of the new Star Wars trilogy that Abrams is planning to begin.
The Web site Jedi News runs an unconfirmed rumor that Adam Driver will be playing Jacen Solo, son of Han Solo and Princess Leia. Well, they don’t come right out and say Jacen Solo. But they do say:
Sounds like Adam Driver is NOT going to play a villain...sort of. He will be playing the son of Han and Leia, and it seems he will be seduced to the Dark Side, and a main plot point for the movie will be their attempt to rescue him."
If he’s playing the son of Han and Leia, then he’s playing Jacen Solo, twin brother to Jaina Solo and an eventual antagonist in the Legacy of the Force series. None of this has been confirmed by LucasFilm, Disney, Bad Robot or anyone associated with Star Wars: Episode VII -- but this bit of news does feed in to the rumors we have been piecing together about the direction of Episode VII: namely, that Harrison Ford’s character was going to have a meatier role in the development of the story (or, at least, this first installment). If the battle at the heart of Episode VII is for the soul of Jacen Solo, I think this helps us instantly connect with the power struggle. And it does give Ford more to work with than we might have originally considered.
Again, this is all a rumor. Adam Driver could be playing a disciple of Max von Sydow, for all we know. But if Driver is playing Jacen, it would make sense that newcomer Daisy Ridley is playing Jaina. After all, she’s sitting with her "parents" in the famous cast photo:
We’ll have to wait a bit longer until we find out who is playing what in Star Wars: Episode VII. One person we know will NOT be returning is Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles in George Lucas’ initial trilogy. Speaking with the UK Courier, the actor says that he was asked to return, but declined because "it would have bored me." Meow! So he’s the one person not excited about this return to a galaxy far, far away? Duly noted.
