‘Star Wars’ Rumors Hint At Lupita Nyong’o Role, Cold War-Like Setting For Episode 7

Filming on Star Wars: Episode VII recently resumed following Harrison Ford’s on-set injury. There’s been plenty of rumors and speculation floating around about the movie’s plot, the bad guy, and more. Some of those rumors align nicely with details from someone who claims to have seen the second draft of the J.J. Abrams’ and Lawrence Kasdan’s script.

Warning: There are potential spoilers from this point forward.

The rumors were picked up by Latino Review, who actually ran across them earlier this year. However, the site decided it was time to share these rumors after reports from its other sources began aligning with this news.

If true, this appears to confirm that Luke Skywalker has been missing for 30 years following the ending of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Additionally, it provides a strong hint on the role Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o will be playing, and it could provide another link back to the original Star Wars trilogy.

The rumors also provide a hint at the state of the Republic and Empire following Return of the Jedi and the stage of the possible conflict.

So yes, this is all very spoiler-filled. You’ve been warned.

>Leia is made leader of the Republic after her predecessor’s death

>Han is a retired veteran of the Republic fleet

>Luke hasn’t been seen in nearly 30 years

>The lead character is Han and Leia’s daughter

>The other lead is the child of Lando, and either a male or female depending on who is cast

>The other lead is a Stormtrooper, also either a male or female depending on who is cast

>Dialogue for these two characters is very rough in the second draft

>Luke has no known offspring

>The Empire still exists in the form of a number of loyal galaxies and are in a state of cold war with the Republic

>The Empire is simply referred to as the “Empire,” and the Republic is referred to formally only once, as the “Galactic Republic;” no “New” anywhere

>There are no Jedi whatsoever, and people still speak as if they are extinct, with Luke being “the last of his kind”

>The main antagonists are an older student of the Emperor, and his apprentice

>The apprentice takes control of the power dynamic between the two pretty quickly…

>The Republic are excavating ruins on a neutral world for a weapon; the world factors into tense negotiations the Empire have had with the Republic, and is referred to as the “Sith Homeworld”

>Loredump: In the script, the Sith are a couple thousand years old, founded by an ancestor of Palpatine called Ruin; the apprentice in this film also goes by that name

>The ruins within the Sith Homeworld are a control station; the planet itself is the weapon

>Luke saves the day at the end, but in a bad way; he has changed

Lupita was previously rumored to play a Sith Witch in the vein of Ventress from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Could she be playing Lando’s daughter instead? It’s possible. The only other black cast member announced thus far is John Boyega, who is rumored to be playing a Stormtrooper, according to Bad Ass Digest.

What did you think of these rumors? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.

[Image via Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images]