'Star Wars: Episode VII': Possible Look at New Stormtroopers, Plus Mark Hamill's Epic Jedi Beard ~ Punch Drunk Critics

Production on Star Wars: Episode VII is on hiatus right now so that Harrison Ford can mend his broken bones. Funny how he didn't get hurt like that in The Expendables 3, eh? Anyway, while J.J. Abrams may be taking a break the endless quest for every scrap of information continues, and now we may have our first look at the infamous (and mostly hapless) Stormtroopers, who appear to have undergone a makeover.

A few days ago artist Tom Hodges posted this sketch of what he says is the new-look Stormtrooper, which features a kind of helmet visor. He refused to say how he saw the design, and the Instagram was quickly deleted, but here's a snapshot of what he drew....

That's not all, though, as the folks at IndieRevolver, an outfit I'm not familiar with and don't totally trust, say they have a source who revealed these below images of a Stormtrooper and Snowtrooper. There's not a lot of wiggle room between one image and Hodges', which to me seems to suggest some level of authenticity. Certainly it excited the 501st Legion who retweeted the images excitedly....

First glimpse of the @starwars #EpisodeVII Stormtrooper & Snowtrooper (via @IndieRevolver)! The future of the #501st! pic.twitter.com/Zycnl5Q4P2
— 501st Legion (@501stLegion) August 15, 2014

Pretty cool, and streamlined enough they could pass for advanced Stormtrooper gear. Of course, none of this is confirmed and probably won't be until we see an image of Abrams on set having coffee with a guy in a Stormtrooper suit.

If Imperial fashion sense isn't really your thing, there's always this image of Mark Hamill that's been making the rounds. In it he's sporting a pretty epic beard, his Jedi beard, I guess. Actually we don't know if he'll be keeping it for the movie but I can't help but think how much he resembles Obi-Wan Kenobi. That can't be a coincidence, right?