Star Trek Into Darkness is finally here, and its lukewarm box office aside, the real question is whether or not it was enough to get fans stoked over J.J. Abrams directing Star Wars: Episode VII. You can cast a vote on that here, incidentally. With production slated to begin next year in the UK, and a release date pegged for summer 2015, Abrams may be getting a jump on the casting now by calling up an old collaborator.
Sources have informed Latino Review that Jonathan Rhys Meyers is in talks to be the first new cast member, joining Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill who will be reprising their iconic roles. The Irish actor first came to the attention of many in America with the hit soccer comedy Bend It Like Beckham, but has also starred in Woody Allen's Match Point, Todd Haynes' terrific Velvet Goldmine, and played Henry VII through four seasons on The Tudors. He was also part of the IMF Team in the Abrams-directed Mission: Impossible III, so they're obviously quite familiar with one another.
That leads to the question of who Meyers could be playing, as he's done a fairly good job of taking on heroic and villainous roles throughout his career. Personally, I think his creepy, steely eyes would make him perfect to control the dark side of the Force. He'll next play a bad guy in this summer's The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Like every Star Wars rumor, take this with a grain of salt until we hear something official.
