Today's News: Lupita going to the Dark Side?

Here's a newsflash for you, this one more recent than most of late:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154439/lupita_nyongo_mogelijk_in_star_wars_episode_vii

The term 'rising star' - in this scenario, a blatantly predictable pun which even I could not refrain from using - has fallen more than a few times over the last few weeks in Nyong'o's case, and rightfully so it would appear. This actress is still at the start of her career, but has already won an Oscar and is now up for a role in what is probably the most major, highly anticipated blockbuster event of the next couple of years. Other than a recurring character in a TV show and a side role in a fairly standard action thriller, her on-screen resumé is a notable blank. It's likely we'll be hearing a lot more of her in the future, though she may also be one of those cases that witnessed a quick burst to stardom and an equally swift demise back into obscurity. Wouldn't be a first, even for an Academy Award winner. But let's not assume a worst-case scenario just yet.

Let's see whether she gets the Star Wars part first, which seems likely. After all, thanks to the Oscar there's a lot of sudden hype around her name, and that's what attracts studios these days. Her talks with J.J. Abrams took place prior to the Oscar ceremony, but now that she has won it's safe to say interest in her participation on the next chapter of the Star Wars saga is at a high and the studio is willing to go the extra length to ensure she bites. But like everything Episode VII, the question remains just what she's sinking her teeth in. Rumours abound of course. The strongest indicate she's a villain, and a Sith no less. That means she'll probably be working closely with Adam Driver, who recently was cast as a bad guy too. If there's any truth to these rumours, so far we have baddies aplenty, though the word on the heroes is still spread thin, particularly how they connect with existing characters we've come to love that are apparently up for an old age reprise, like Luke, Leia and Han. It's likely we'll be introduced to a new generation of Jedi learning the ways of the Force from Master Luke, that find themselves at odds with the usual 'anti-Jedi' Sith Lords and the remnant of the Galactic Empire. How these characters relate to each other is still in the clear, and it may not be as much of a family affair as before (face it: Episodes I through VI were all about the Skywalkers, the good and the bad, especially if you subscribe to the theory that Palpatine Force-fathered Anakin). Odds are strong we'll be treated to the offspring of the original heroes, but the villainy will likely originate from elsewhere. I doubt Nyong'o will portray a character related to the Skywalkers (though that thought may spring from the racist inside me). Heck, Nyong'o might not even play a bad girl at all. Such rumours have a tendency to start their own life online and are often revealed to have no basis in reality. Until we hear more concrete details about Episode VII's plot and characters, it's probably better for our sanity to regard every bit of news about this project - and there will undoubtedly be lots of those! - with an appropriately dispassionate grain of salt. 'Lupita Nyong'o might be up for a part in Star Wars', you say? Get back to me when the deal at least is closed, please.