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Says this guy becomes friends with solo in VIII?

hmmmm

Chinese Jedi?

China, the unknown world in Star Wars galaxy .
We don't even know if Solo survives TFA and we already get to know his future Chinese-Jedi-sidekick? Sounds fishy, as Calamarians say.

BTW, Yen looks great but he's 52 - too old to be Luke's apprentice and too young to be a pre-Imperial Jedi. Also, too expensive to wear a monkey suit or rubber mask of an alien.
I think if Donnie Yen is to be associated with Star Wars (especially as Jedi survivor) it's rather Rogue One than ep. VIII.

Chinese age well

ign.com /star-wars-episode-viii-eyes-tatiana-maslany-gina-rodriguez-and-olivia-cooke-for-female-lead

I'm really getting annoyed by all of the Episode VIII news being put out there MONTHS before the release of Episode VII.

First of all, the fact that there is a "new" female lead could be considered a massive spoiler for Episode VII. The same goes for the fact that they're casting a "new villain" for Episode VIII. Second, when did Star Wars get so female-centric? This isn't Hunger Games, it's a science fiction action series designed for young boys. The casting decisions so far have already reeked of social justice.

"...designed for young boys"?

WTF. Says who? There are untold droves of fan girls out there (ex. http://www.heruniverse.com/). And rightfully so. Star Wars has proven it's for damn near everyone.

"...have already reeked of social justice"?

What's wrong with greater diversity in the casting of underrepresented or malrepresented groups in Star Wars? It's a refreshing, different, smart and globally-conscious move. Especially coming from a major media conglomerate like Disney. Plus, this is space fantasy, not historical drama.

The world is a far different place than it was in 1977 when ANH was released without a single person of color in its cast except as the voice of the central villain.

Lucas, for one. Go dig up the quotes, not that it matters.

Do chicks dig Star Wars? Of course they do. The same way they dig the Marvel movies. Blockbusters nowadays tend to have universal themes and mass entertainment appeal but don't be ignorant for the sake of your argument and ignore common sense: pew pew space action is inherently a male-driven genre the same way Rom-coms are female-driven. It doesn't mean people of the opposite sex can't enjoy genre films (and when they're done extremely well, like Star Wars, they can transcend the genre), but let's not pretend Star Wars was made to appeal to young girls, or that there are just as many female fans as there are men (or even close) because there aren't.



Generally speaking there is absolutely nothing wrong with diversity in casting. I criticize it when it feels like it's being done for political reasons rather than in service to the story. There was honestly no reason to have a black person play Human Torch other than to say "Look: we're making a black guy Human Torch! We're inclusive! Diversity is awesome!" Remember when Man of Steel made Jimmy Olsen "Jenny" Olsen? Why again? It's basically reverse-sexism and reverse-racism, which I find more offensive.

I believe Boyega was chosen for this role as much because he is black, and Disney knows how culturally significant that casting will be given the scale of a franchise like Star Wars, than what he can bring to the role as an actor. Don't kid yourself: they're making a statement. That's why he was the first character shown in the teaser and why the iconography of this film will be Finn using Luke Skywalker's (the quintessential cinema hero, who is white) lightsaber: to signal a changing of the times and put the world on notice that it was the Walt Disney Company, in spite of its racist past, that made a black guy the central hero of a Star Wars film.

I'm sorry, but as a fan of this series I don't read Star Wars through the lens of Earthly social politics: I just want to see the drama about the Skywalker family play out in a logical way and logic would dictate that the central hero should be kin to that family, which happens to be white.

Don't make Shaft's son an adopted white kid or reimagine "Black Panther" as a white guy from a fake Scandinavian country. It isn't breaking barriers in my eyes, it's lessening suspension of disbelief.

"not that it matters"

It doesn't. Star Wars has grown beyond its creator's intentions. Intentions that have dramatically varied from the start, by the way. Did you know that, for ANH, Lucas wanted to have Asian actors in key roles or even an all-black cast at one point? Luke was actually a girl in many early drafts.

"reverse-sexism and reverse-racism"

Racism or sexism functions as a result of a dominant group having power over a less advantaged group. There's no such thing as reverse-sexism or reverse-racism unless, in your examples, females and blacks are suddenly the majority lording it over males and whites. Definitely not the case here.

"Earthly social politics"

The struggle is real and it touches us all whether we want it to or not. This kind of unusual detachment from so-called Earthly social politics is usually the result of someone who has the privilege to be oblivious about the very real plight of oppressed social groups like females and blacks.

"I just want to see the drama about the Skywalker family play out in a logical way and logic..."

A logical way that has included virgin births and the Force. Right...

Anything is possible. That's what makes movies so goddamned magical.

"Don't make Shaft's son an adopted white kid or reimagine 'Black Panther' as a white guy from a fake Scandinavian country."

Who's doing that? Certain characters like those in the Shaft or Black Panther universes are born out of race or culturally-based paradigms or contexts. Typically as a response to the status quo. But Star Wars (and the Fantastic Four, for that matter) don't primarily operate out of that so it's fair game.

I know this is kind of off-topic, but including a Hispanic actor (and Black actor) as a Star Wars lead is a pretty big deal. Not trying to shove a "PC agenda" or anything, just expressing that as a brown dude watching and loving Star Wars, the best we had was Jimmy Smits as Organa. These characters are archetypes, so I was Luke or Han or whoever I wanted to be, but if I was growing up with the Sequel trilogy, I'd be all over that Poe Dameron Halloween costume.

Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy confirms that entire cast will return for eighth film

Force Ghost Solo?

Well, she was saying that before the London premiere, so she wouldn't say "everybody but Harrison will return, because he gets knocked off in this one..."

Could Ep. 8 open with Solo's funeral?

I suppose if Luke's blue lightsaber can be retrieved from a bottomless shaft in Cloud City, so can Solo's body be recovered from Starkiller Base - before it blew up, of course.

Casting call went out, they are looking for a female lead, 20-25, any race.

I just mentioned this in another thread, but there's a small chance Solo may return in EPVIII. If they decide to delve a bit deeper into Luke training Kylo and the shit that went down with Snoke, there could be the possibility of small cameo in a flashback. Not likely, but possible.

clooooooooooone