Episode VII Rumor: Are These The Villains Of The Film?

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Caution: If the information in this report is accurate, these constitute serious spoilers.

We know very little about Star Wars Episode VII at this point. For example, who are the new cast members playing? What kind of galactic government exists thirty years after Return of the Jedi? And what kind of threat do our heroes face? A new report from our good friends over at MakingStarWars suggests answers to those questions. Warning: Proceed through the rest of this post at your own risk.

Here is the summary of what Amanda Ward over at MSW has posted:

The bad guys in Star Wars: Episode VII are being called "Jedi Hunters" by people working on and around the film. These are scary individuals, dressed in black, some helmeted, that hunt Jedi for the Empire.

According to one of the site's sources, the new cast members playing these "Jedi Hunters" are Lupita Nyong’o, Adam Driver, and David Oyelowo. Rumor has it that Oyelowo plays the Inquisitor who serves as the primary antagonist in Star Wars Rebels. If these movie villains are Inquisitors, that adds credibility to the rumor of a Rebels-Episode VII connection through Oyelowo.

MakingStarWars' sources said that "the premise of the Inquisitor from Star Wars Rebels sounds identical to what is in the film itself," and one of them told the site that "they had the impression the Jedi were fighting this group for a very long time," which would dovetail with the group's existence as early as the Rebels timeframe.

One more tidbit from MSW's report: There is no "New Republic" three decades after Episode VI, and the "Jedi Hunters" are partly responsible for that.

We at TFN are looking into this report and will update if we learn anything more from our own sources.

Head over to MakingStarWars.net for their full report, which includes a description of the villains' goal and a comment on Luke Skywalker's role in all of this.

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No, The Villains Of Star Wars Episode VII Will Not Be 'Jedi Hunters'
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