Several sites are reporting this afternoon that Girls star Adam Driver is in the last stages of talks with Disney and Lucasfilm to take a villain role in Star Wars: Episode VII.
Lucasfilm and Disney have yet to confirm the news. It was first reported by Variety that he would take a role similar to that of Darth Vader. TheWrap and The Hollywood Reporter also reported the news.
Driver is an up-and-coming star that Hollywood has been looking at for bigger roles since he broke through on Lena Dunham’s Girls. He also won acclaim for a part in the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis last year and appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln in 2012. He was linked to Warner Bros.’ Superman and Batman movie, but denied those rumors.
Variety sounds confident that the studio will announce casting next month. After all, shooting at Pinewood Studios in the U.K. is expected to start in April. So far, the only cast member that’s been confirmed is R2-D2.
Driver’s casting follows a cluster of rumors last month. He’s been linked to the project in the past. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford are expected to return.
J.J. Abrams is directing. Episode VII opens on Dec. 18, 2015.
image courtesy of ABC