Abrams and Monaghan worked together on the TV series LOST and they are also close friends. Monaghan is famous for his great passion for Star Wars and in the past he several times admitted that he was lobbying Abrams for a role in the new Star Wars movies. Hit the jump for a brief interview with Monaghan and his thoughts on J.J. and the upcoming movie as well as some more tidbits about Wedge Antilles...
Here's the interview from Ora.tv:
In other news...
10 days ago The Scotsman reported that actor Denis Lawson who played Wedge Antilles in the Original Trilogy probably won't return for Episode 7:
He turned down the opportunity to reprise his Star Wars role when George Lucas revisited the story in 2005, but when I ask him about it he just sighs wearily and won’t be drawn. “Honestly, I made the first Star Wars film in 1976 and it doesn’t really interest me. I know it’s interesting to other people but I get really bored talking about it. Sorry.”
Now according to a new report, there is still hope for the Republic Hero to reprise his role in Episode 7:
Lawson’s close friend Gary Mancini had this to say on the subjetc:
We spoke to him when he was doing a signing last year and he said he wasn’t interested in just a cameo, but if there was a fully rounded and expanded role for him in the film, he would consider it, script and price pending.
Via StarWarsy
lawsons first episode of new tricks was hilarious , investigating a sci fi fan , gave a serious speech in a bedroom full of star wars toys .... not an x-wing in sight though.
ReplyDeleteDarth Brandybuck
ReplyDeleteJesus Lawson's holding out for a big role and paycheck? What the hell is he so busy with these days?
ReplyDeletenew tricks .... uk detective series (if they make more that is)
DeleteOh well, I have a feeling he's gonna keep waiting on that one folks. He, in a way kinda talked a little smack about star wars and then asks for a larger role and more money??? ha, good luck Dennis
ReplyDeleteI hope Denis/Wedge does come back, he was always a really good character and if they did plan to have Wedge be in more then just one scene it'd be a shame if they had to cut that out or recast him.
ReplyDeleteIf they're going to bring back Wedge, they should just bring back Nien Nunb while they're at it.....
DeleteWhy? Nien just sat there, with a smacked ass for a face, and blabbed dubnubivabunigunibuvivagani.
DeleteWhy is it some actors get snobby over the big blockbuster stuff they are involved in?.. I get if you get sick being asked questions over and over again, but going down to the set for a day to film a few cockpit dialogue pieces to make millions of fans happy and then picking up your pay cheque is not exactly torture.. Come on Dennis !!
ReplyDeleteHaha my thoughts exactly, though I'd hope he would have been promoted to captain of a star ship by this point.
DeleteMaybe he doesn't like money.
DeleteActors probably prefer people pay attention to what they're doing now since that's how they make money.
DeleteVery un-Wedge though.
Bring him in long enough to give him the Dak treatment. Done.
DeleteDamn I wish I was Domonic and friends with JJ and got little personal updates haha. Good to know they are focusing on unkowns for the leads. All this talk of Jesse Plemons, ed speelers, john boyega etc etc for the leads is surely a load of rubbish. All big stars start out as unkowns, why go for popular names instead of entirely new and unseen talent!? The best rumoured actor so far for the lead has been Matthew James Thomas. He's an unkown actor and really talented according to people who have seen him in theatre. Plus, not being funny, he has a Mark Hamill look about him. New Luke Skywalker descendant anyone? He has literally been the only rumoured actor so far that's actually ticked every sing box.. Thankfully they've presumably auditioned hundreds so the chances of being stuck with an established actor like Jesse are slim.
ReplyDeleteYeah totally, he does look like Luke.
DeleteGoing for quality of the actors for their parts instead of big names (big relatively speaking) is definitely a good thing
DeleteYes, happy that JJ is going the 77 route to find new talent. It is a great opportunity to discover fresh faces and voices.
DeleteI really hope this is the way JJ is going with the cast. True, Lucas went that route with Hayden C. in the PT and the results were less than stellar. Then again, Lucas' dialogue writing was just bloody awful, and he's never exactly been much of an "actor's director" the way JJ seems to be. If the script for Episode VII is at least decent, I think JJ will probably get good performances out of everyone.
DeleteAnd going with young, as-yet unknown actors for the lead roles is a great idea. This Matthew Thomas lad seems to have a good look. I think he could work (at least visually) as either Luke's son or Han and Leia's son. Definitely a "Skywalker-ish" look there, and I also see a bit of a lopsided Solo grin there too. If he's got good acting chops, I could see him being cast in either role.
As for Denis Lawson, I can see his point. He did little bit parts in the original SW movies, probably only did a day or so of shooting for each, and I can see him getting a bit tired of having to constantly talk about it to fans and to have to pump the whole thing up into a bigger experience than it actually was for him. I'd bet that that's a lot more of what his "more than just a cameo or why bother?" attitude is about than any sort of money thing.
That said, I hope they do get him back and give him a bigger role than the few lines he had in the OT films.
(By the way, Denis has got a great supporting role in the movie "Local Hero" with Peter "Boone" Riegert. If any of y'all haven't seen it, it's a neat little movie. About as far from a SW/summer blockbuster movie as you're likely to get, but still.)
Hopefully the search for the new trio is ongoing....
DeleteI think they found them awhile ago and they're just waiting for whatever big media event Disney has planned to make the big announcements.
DeleteWell, May is just 5 weeks away, so I guess we will hear something soon. This is the most secretive production ever.
DeleteIf Disney possesses the logic to release information and clips from Inside Out, a Pixar movie that comes out in 2015 (unless they delay it AGAIN) then they should have had the sense to say something about VII. An actualy start date in filming would have been nice.
DeleteNot sure about Jesse I think he is in this. And also Stephanie Hunt from back in FNL is in it to. She is in a band with Megan Mullally called Nancy and Beth. They stopped doing concerts about a month ago.
DeleteSo what that they stopped concerts?
DeleteSo...
ReplyDeleteThe news for the day: wedge probably won't be back... But he might.
Wedge could take the "General Madine" roll in VII. Or lead Rogue Squadron.
ReplyDeleteOr, there can be no rogue squadron, as this is 30 years after the empire's fall.
Delete70 years after WWII, we still have an army...
DeleteThis is perfect. They can recast Wedge as a black man!
ReplyDeleteDORK!
DeleteYeah this guy comes across as a total dickhead. He can keep waiting for that script and paycheck.
ReplyDeleteYep, he is no Jedi!
DeleteI'm sorry, but holding out on that kind of money is what one would say is "absolute mental retardation"
ReplyDeleteI never had a Wedge action figure, would have rather had a Dak one though. Now Biggs was definitely available with a special proof of purchase offer and that would have been cool. Wedge is really not that important to me regardless of his involvement or the actors relation to Ewan McKenobi.
ReplyDelete