Film News Roundup: 11

After much speculation of when or if “Star Wars: Episode VII” would arrive in theaters in 2015, Disney gave fans a fixed date for the film’s release; the J.J. Abram’s helmed film will open in 3D on Dec. 18, 2015.

            Just last month, Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan took over scriptwriting duties for Michael Arndt. All sings point to that the studio wanted to give the filmmakers more time to get a solid script finished before shooting begins in the spring.

            Traditionally, the previous “Star Wars” films were all released in the month of May. I would argue that the December date helps the studio get away from having to compete with other major summer blockbusters, including one of their own: “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

The “Star Wars” fandom is probably the most ravenous in pop-culture. Unquestionably, generations of people can’t wait for this movie to arrive sooner that later.  Let the countdown commence for Dec. 18, 2015!

It seems that the “Terminator” reboot is moving full steam ahead. Director Alan Taylor (“Game of Thrones,” “Thor: The Dark World”) is prepping to begin testing actors and actresses for the roles of Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese respectively.  

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the actresses testing for the role of Connor are Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”), Brie Larson, (“Short Term 12”) and Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street”). Connor was originally played by Linda Hamilton in the first two “Terminator” films directed by James Cameron. Sarah Connor is the mother of John Connor, the leader of the human resistance against Skynet, a sentient artificial intelligence system.

For the role of Kyle Reese, Garret Hedlund (“Tron: Legacy’) and Boyd Holbrook (“The Host) are on the shortlist to play the time traveling father of John Connor.

Also, reports claim that Taylor is hoping to cast Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) as his new John Connor. However, there hasn’t been a meeting between the two to discuss the role.

Furthermore, Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to reprise his iconic role as the Terminator. His role is being describes as “a Terminator robot in a time-spanning story that sees him tasked to protect Sarah Connor as she grows up.”

            While there hasn’t been any confirmation from Paramount Pictures that these reports are factual, I would be pleased if they came to fruition. The actors and actresses that could be possibly involved in this film are extremely talented and would be a great addition to this film franchise.

            The “Terminator” reboot is set to be released July 1, 2015.