The Road to Episode Infinity: Casting the Expanded Universe

Happy Revenge of the Sixth Everyone! We are now 1.5 years away from Episode VII and we no hardly anything about the film. In a way that makes Episode VII more exciting than any of the prequel films because anything could happen! With this in mind, Episode VII may be the most anticipated film in history.

There are some things we do know, however. First and foremost is that The Expanded Universe is out. We are paving over the old canon and establishing a new path. Most people are very, very happy with this fact. However, there are fans out there who want to see their favorite EU characters on film. We don't know for sure how much the writers of Episode VII will draw from the EU. Could characters such as Mara Jade or the Solo Twins pop up in the prequels? Only time will tell.

So I went ahead and cast the Expanded Universe. I focussed on the characters that pop up the most in the novels. I would have loved to spend time casting Grand Moff Thrawn and Prince Xizor, but they were in very few books and I wanted to stick mostly to the family of the Solo's and Skywalker's. Let's get started.

Julianne Moore as Mara Jade

Mara Jade Skywalker: First introduced by Timothy Zahn in the early 90s, Mara has been an essential part of post-ROTJ Star Wars material. Apprentice to Palpatine, Rival to Lord Vader, and Wife to Luke Skywalker- there is not a woman in the galaxy that enemies fear more. Also, she's a redhead. If Episode VII were based on the EU, we would need a middle aged Mara to fall for an aging Luke Skywalker. A tough, middle-aged, sexy redhead isn't easy to find in hollywood, but Julianne Moore might be good for this role. Personally, I haven't seen Moore in any films recently, but she's a veteran actor who has been in plenty of action flicks. I have no doubt that she could stand toe-to-toe with Luke Skywalker.

Liam James as Ben Skywalker

And while we're at it, let's find a Ben Skywalker. Luke and Mara's son, Ben, has been only recently introduced into the Star Wars series, and many fans may be unfamiliar with the character. Still, he is an important character. Ben would be in his early teens in Episode VII. There aren't a whole lot of teenage male actors stealing the screens these days, but Liam James was recently nominated for several awards for his break-out role in "The Way Way Back". It's a great film and he more than proved his acting ability.

Jennifer Lawrence as Jaina Solo

I couldn't resist casting the Solo Twins in these films. They are some of my favorite characters in the Expanded Universe. I practically grew up with them. There characters are fleshed out in the Young Jedi Knight Series, the evolve in the New Jedi Order, and finally comes full circle in the Legacy of the Force series. The two have probably been featured in over one hundred Star Wars novels and fans love them.

When I thought of Jennifer Lawrence for the role of Jaina Solo, I got really excited. The girl has already played Katniss Everdeen and Mystique. There is no question in my mind that Lawrence could pull off a perfect Jaina. Can you imagine her swinging a lightsaber or inside of an X-Wing cockpit?

Danielle Radcliffe as Jacen Solo

My choice for Jacen is a little more controversial. Jacen has to be likable and has to have a dark side to him. I picked Danielle Radcliffe. It's hard to imagine Jacen and Harry Potter having much in common, but Radcliffe is actually quite handsome without those Potter glasses and you can almost see that Solo charm behind his eyes.

Rose Leslie as Tenel Ka Djo

Finally, I will not feel complete without casting the role of Tenel Ka Djo. Tenel Ka is Jacen's lover and mother to Han and Leia's only grandchild. Her father is a Hapen Prince and her mother is a witch of Dathomir, which makes her... the toughest princess in the whole galaxy. Ka is probably the closest thing Star Wars has to Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons. She loses an arm in her childhood and decided against a prosthetic. Like many of the wonderful female character of the Expanded Universe she is one tough chica. I chose Rose Leslie who plays Ygritte, (Jon Snow's wildling girlfriend from Game of Thrones.) She's pretty much perfect for the part in every way, so end-of-story.

I know that so many fans love these characters and I really hope that some of them will pop up in Episode VII or future episodes. It's hard to imagine that we could lose these characters forever from Star Wars canon. So here's to hoping! Happy Star Wars week everyone and remember (like Earth Day) that you can celebrate Star Wars everyday.

May the 4th Specials

The Road to Episode Infinity

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Casting the Expanded Universe

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