Hollywood Popular Artists

Jul 25th 2013, 14:47, by Kevin P. Sullivan

Things have been relatively quiet in that galaxy far, far away. Aside from a rumor (the overblown talk of J.J. Abrams' departure) and the obvious return of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford, we really haven't heard too much about what's going on with "Star Wars: Episode VII," so you can imagine the internet's excitement when someone claimed to have some casting news.

Latino Review claims that they've got a source with knowledge of the ongoing casting process for "Star Wars: Episode VII." According to the site, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling, and Zac Efron have all met with producers about roles in the upcoming sequel.

They then claimed that DiCaprio is already out, Gosling met for Luke Skywalker, and Efron met for an unknown role. The site mentioned the possibility of Han Solo's son for Efron, but that was admittedly a guess on the writer's part.

As exciting as the idea of Ryan Gosling as a new young Skywalker might be, you really, really shouldn't read too much into any of this. The basis of these rumors is pretty shaky. Even if Latino Review is on the money about Gosling and Efron, meetings don't amount to much in Hollywood and don't come close to actual casting news.

On top of all of that skepticism, you can heap Gosling's break from acting. As the actor focuses on his directorial debut, "How to Catch a Monster," he has said on a couple occasions that he sees himself stepping away from acting for at least a little while.

So when can you expect to hear something official about "Star Wars: Episode VII"? It might be sooner than you think. Production is supposed to start early next year, so the news should come rolling in during the upcoming months and weeks. "Star Wars Celebration Europe," an enormous gathering of fans, starts tomorrow (July 25) with guests like Hamill, Fisher, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy scheduled to make appearances. There's also the D23 Expo, Disney's answer to Comic-Con, which runs from August 9 to August 11, and "Star Wars" is expected to have a big presence there as well.

What do you think of these latest rumors? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

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