Things continue to move forward with Star Wars Episode VII despite Harrison Ford’s well publicized leg injury. The most recent update comes from starwars.com where the announcement was made that Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen would be joining the cast of Star Wars Episode VII. The casting of these two young actors apparently came from a casting call made, according to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, “The Star Wars universe has always been about discovering and nurturing young talent and in casting Episode VII we wanted to remain absolutely faithful to this tradition. We are delighted that so many travelled to see us at the open casting calls and that we have been able to make Crystal and Pip a part of the film.”
The other announcement that came with this addition to the cast was that there will be a two week break in the production schedule due to Harrison Ford’s injury. During this time adjustments will be made in the production schedule. Star Wars Episode VII is still on schedule to wrap production and be in theaters on December 18, 2015.
At the end of last year Lucasfilm and Disney invited all young aspiring actors to attend an open casting call for roles in J.J Abrams’ Star Wars Episode VII. The casting calls spanned 11 cities across the US and UK and over 37,000 hopefuls attended, with a further 30,000 submitting applications online.
Having hunted high and low for young and undiscovered talent, the filmmakers are delighted to announce that two actors from the open call call have been cast.
Crystal Clarke is an American actress studying in Glasgow, UK, who has both stage and screen acting experience and is soon to be seen in her first feature, The Moon and the Sun (to be released in 2015). British actor Pip Andersen is a skilled practitioner of parkour, a discipline that involves propelling oneself through any given environment with incredible grace and agility. Pip recently demonstrated this remarkable skill in a Spider-Man ad for Sony.
“The Star Wars universe has always been about discovering and nurturing young talent and in casting Episode VII we wanted to remain absolutely faithful to this tradition. We are delighted that so many travelled to see us at the open casting calls and that we have been able to make Crystal and Pip a part of the film,” said producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
Meanwhile, principal photography continues at Pinewood Studios in London after wrapping on location in Abu Dhabi in May.
In August, the team will take a brief two-week hiatus while adjustments to the current production schedule are made as actor Harrison Ford recovers from a leg injury. Harrison is doing well and is looking forward to returning to the set soon. Shooting remains on track to wrap in the fall with the film scheduled for release on December 18, 2015.
