Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. Legacy Archives

Star Wars: Episode VII adds two more cast members

Add as a preferred source on Google

The cast of Star Wars: Episode VII continues to grow, with LucasFilm announcing the addition of two young actors chosen as part of the production’s open casting call.

The most recently added cast member are American actor Crystal Clarke, who makes her feature-film debut in next year’s The Moon and the Sun, and British actor Pip Anderson, a parkour expert who appeared in a 2012 Sony Xperia ad tied to The Amazing Spider-Man. You can watch the commercial below, which showcases some of Anderson’s skills.

Recommended Videos

“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,” said LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy in the official announcement of the casting. “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 open casting call was announced last year and attracted almost 70,000 hopeful actors who attended the casting events in person or submitted applications online, according to LucasFilm.

The announcement also noted that Episode VII production will take a two-week break in August in order to account for Harrison Ford’s recent on-set injury, but indicated that the release date of December 18, 2015, is not in danger of being pushed back.

“Harrison is doing well and is looking forward to returning to the set soon,” reads the statement.

Rick Marshall
Former Contributing Editor, Entertainment
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Spotify’s new conversational AI can play tracks you request and answer your music questions
A ChatGPT-like AI feature is coming to Spotify for music requests and listening-history questions
spotify

Spotify is rolling out a new AI-powered conversational feature that lets Premium users talk directly to the app about what they want to hear. Users can type or speak a request and refine the results through follow-up questions instead of manually searching for a song, podcast, or audiobook.

The feature is available from Spotify’s Home and Now Playing screens and works much like a personal audio assistant. It can choose what plays, answer questions about the current track or album, recommend something new, and look through your listening history to provide more personalized responses.

Read more
Christopher Nolan’s personal take on smartphones is surprisingly practical
Christopher Nolan says not owning a smartphone helps him think better
Christopher Nolan sits in front of an IMAX camera.

Christopher Nolan has spent his career embracing cutting-edge filmmaking technology while resisting one of the most common gadgets on the planet: the smartphone. The Oscar-winning director behind Oppenheimer, Inception, and the upcoming The Odyssey says his decision isn't about rejecting technology altogether. It's about protecting something he believes has become increasingly rare - time to think.

In an interview with The Telegraph ahead of the premiere of The Odyssey, Nolan explained that he still doesn't own a smartphone, despite living in a world where QR codes, digital tickets, and messaging apps have become everyday necessities. His reasoning, however, is far more practical than philosophical.

Read more
Letterboxd could find a new home at Netflix, but Sony is fighting for it, too
Netflix wants Letterboxd, but Hollywood isn't letting it go without a fight
Letterboxd

Letterboxd, the fast-growing social network for film lovers, could soon have a new owner. According to a report by Puck News, the New Zealand-based platform has been exploring a potential sale, attracting interest from several major entertainment companies, including Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Paramount Skydance.

While no deal has been confirmed, the discussions highlight how valuable online fan communities have become as streaming platforms compete not just for viewers, but also for the audiences that influence what people watch next.

Read more