The next installment of the Star Wars franchise is shaping up to be an action-packed affair, with a trio of actors from Gareth Evans’ celebrated martial-arts films The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2: Berandal reportedly joining the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.
Twitch (the movies site, not the game streaming service) reports that Indonesian actor and The Raid franchise star Iko Uwais, who plays S.W.A.T. officer Rama in both films of the series, has agreed to join the cast of The Force Awakens in an unspecified role. He’ll be joined by fellow franchise actors Yayan Ruhian, who played “Mad Dog” in The Raid: Redemption, and Cecep Arif Rahman, who played “The Assassin” in The Raid 2.
The outlet is uncertain whether the three actors will fill on-screen roles or serve as fight choreographers, as both Uwais and Ruhian did for The Raid films in addition to appearing in the film. Given that all three actors are experts in the traditional Indonesian martial art pencak silat, which uses blades, batons, poles, and swaths of fabric in its self-defense techniques, the universe of Star Wars — with its lightsabers and robed warriors — seems like a particularly good fit for their talents.
It’s worth noting that neither the studio nor the actors’ representatives have confirmed the deal for their services at this point, so their involvement should be considered a rumor until an official announcement is made.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is scheduled to hit theaters December 18.
