In just a few more months J.J. Abrams will have started filming Star Wars: Episode VII, and during this time the director is carefully combing through a list of possible actors up for roles. Adam Driver has already been cast as a villain, with Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher expected to return to reprise their respective roles.

Now there is word that Abrams is looking towards casting the leading hero, and he may have narrowed it down to five people, one of whom has appeared on the casting rumor mill.

Variety reports that Ed Speelers (Downton Abbey), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Jesse Plemons (Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad), theater actor Matthew James Thomas (Billy Elliot, About A Boy), and Ray Fisher, another theater actor, are all in contention for this mysterious role.

This isn’t the first time we have seen Plemons on the Star Wars: Episode VII shortlist. He was mentioned back in January as a possible contender for one of the leading roles after his audition tape was reportedly “well-received.”

Again, this is just a shortlist, it is by no means the final five people they are looking at. It could be that they are looking for an actor like the five mentioned.

Also unclear is if the actors who are up for the role will play one of the Skywalker/Solo offspring. There could have been a number of changes since it was announced that Michael Ardnt would no longer be writing the script. One of the changes calls for the Skywalker/Solo offspring to play a supporting role. Another interesting thing about the shortlist is its diverse nature.

It’s also said that a big focus of the casting is to find someone of a different ethnicity than previous leads, which is why actors like David Oyewolo and Michael B. Jordan tested for roles early.

[Source: Variety]