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    “Star Wars: Episode VII” cast unveiled

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    In this April 25, 2014 file photo, Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson arrives for the 'Frank' premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in London. (Photo by John Phillips/Invision/AP Images, File)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    "Star Wars: Episode VII" finally has its stars. May the Force be with them.

    After months of carefully guarded secrecy and endless Internet speculation, the cast of the latest incarnation of the space epic was unveiled Tuesday on the official "Star Wars" website by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Co.

    Starring in J.J. Abrams' new "Star Wars" are: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Max von Sydow, Andy Serkis and Domhnall Gleeson.

    The companies declined to name the characters each will play, though Driver, the breakout star of HBO's "Girls," is widely expected to be playing the film's feature villain.

    They join returning "Star Wars" veterans Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Peter Mayhew is also back as Chewbacca and Kenny Baker will reprise RD-D2.

    "It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again," director and co-writer Abrams said in a statement. "We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

    Disney will release "Star Wars: Episode VII," which will be set 30 years after 1983's "Return of the Jedi," in December 2015. Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, and immediately put a new "Star Wars" trilogy into development.

    The "Episode VII" cast is a mix of fresh faces, up-and-comers and established names.

    The 22-year-old British actor Boyega is best known for the 2011 science fiction monster movie "Attack the Block." Ridley, also a young British actor, is largely unknown. She has appeared in several British TV series, including "Mr. Selfridge."

    Like Driver, Isaac is a recent breakout star, following his acclaimed performance in the Coen brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis."

    The 30-year-old Irish actor Gleeson has appeared in numerous films, including 2012's "Anna Karenina" and both parts of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." He's acted frequently on stage, earning a Tony nomination in 2006 for his performance in "The Lieutenant of Inishmore."

    The British actor Serkis is famous for his digital shape-shifting, playing Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" films and the titular gorilla in "King Kong." It's widely speculated that he'll again trade on his specialty of using performance capture to craft a digital character.

    Von Sydow, the 85-year-old Swedish legend of "The Exorcist" and "The Seventh Seal," will presumably add the kind of gravitas Alec Guinness brought to the 1977 original.

    Scoring "Episode VII" will be John Williams, who created the original trilogy's famous themes.




    DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit

    Friday, November 22, 2024
    Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

    DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.

    The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.

    The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.

    DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.

    "While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.

    The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.

    The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.

    DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More

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