Star Trek, Star Wars, and now”¦ Stargate!

J.J. Abrams, the powerhouse director with a passion for lens flare, has been tapped to take over Roland Emmerich‘s planned Stargate reboot. In an announcement that seems to have come out of nowhere, MGM stated in their official press release that, “If there was ever a director worthy of taking on such a vast and loved universe with an exponential amount of worlds to explore, it’s J.J. Abrams. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him on board.”

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.

After countless rumors, it looks as though the first official actor has been revealed for Star Wars: Episode VII, the highly anticipated next chapter in the franchise being directed by J.J. Abrams.

According to Variety, Girls star Adam Driver is nearing a deal to join the cast. Details about who exactly Driver will play are unknown, though it is said that it will be a villain in “the same vein as Darth Vader.”

Man, there must really be something to all this Star Wars: Episode VII business. Seems like every day casting rumors hit the web with greater fanfare than the announcement of a new pope.

Just a few days ago it was revealed that Breaking Bad and Friday Night Lights actor Jesse Plemons was among the latest performers to try out for the cast of J.J. Abrams‘ continuation of George Lucas‘ epic space fantasy franchise. Today adds a few more interesting names to the Episode VII mix, namely Adam Driver (Girls), Hugo Weaving (Cloud Atlas), and star-on-the-rise Michael Fassbender.

Despite having my love for all things Star Wars reduced dramatically to the status of a favorite childhood toy I needed sorrily to let go, I am holding out a little hope for Star Wars: Episode VII. J.J. Abrams is a solid director of expansive widescreen excitement and his movies tend to be pretty damn great when the crucial elements are in place. The project’s first writer Michael Arndt was eventually usurped by Lawrence Kasdan, but as Kasdan was widely credited with making the script for The Empire Strikes Back a winner (original scribe Leigh Brackett had a hand in its success too), this news was greeted by the franchise’s die hard fans with jubilation.

In addition to excessive CGI and lifeless performances from an otherwise talented cast, the much-loathed – yet still hugely profitable – prequel trilogy suffered from George Lucas’ deplorable writing. If Abrams’ continued exploration of a galaxy far, far away on the big screen is to be a success at least creatively it’s vital for the screenplay to be in place prior to the start of filming.