Adam Driver Nearing Deal To Play STAR WARS EPISODE VII Villain

Brace yourselves, folks! After months of rumors and false casting announcements, we may finally know the first new character joining Star Wars Episode VII. According to Variety, Girls actor Adam Driver is nearing a deal to play the main villain in the next installment of the epic space franchise. They state that Driver has Disney’s and Lucasfilm’s top choice to play the villain, but the decision was delayed due to scheduling issues between Episode VII (and future installments) and Girls. This has been fixed and the deal should be finalized soon.

While the specific details aren’t known yet, the character is “said to be in the vein of iconic ‘Star Wars’ villain Darth Vader.”  Other names rumored for his role included Michael Fassbender and Hugo Weaving. Shooting is expected to begin in April, so Driver is likely the opening salvo of names we’ll be hearing attached to the movie in the coming months. This isn’t the only blockbuster film his name has been attached to. Last year he was rumored to be playing Nightwing in the Man of Steel sequel, although personally, I don’t think he has the Dick Grayson look.

For Star Wars, on the other hand, I can definitely picture him as a black clothed, red lightsaber wielding Sith Lord. They stated that his character will be in the vein of Darth Vader, so perhaps the Sith Order will somehow be revived for the sequel trilogy. It’s also possible he’s the leader of a alien menace, in the vein to the Yuuzhan Vong in the Expanded Universe novels. Personally, I hope that’s not the case. Call me old-fashioned, but I like the Sith as the main baddies in these films. Jedi vs. Sith. Good vs. evil. Those great lightsaber battles. That’s the true essence of the Star Wars movies. Well, that and space battles.

SOURCE: Variety