While fans eagerly await news about plot details and the film's human cast, Lucasfilm and Disney have finally confirmed that one of the franchise's most familiar stars will be back for Star Wars: Episode VII. The iconic R2-D2 is the first returning character to be announced for J.J. Abrams' continuation of the incredibly popular film series, and has a new design team to boot.
In the new film, R2-D2 will be designed by Meet Lee Towersey and Oliver Steeples - two series fans and members of the R2-D2 Builders Club (a hobby group dedicated to building 'fully-functioning' droid replicas inspired by Star Wars). The pair caught the attention of Star Wars producer and Lucasfilm producer Kathleen Kennedy, and were invited to join the production.
In a blog post on the official Star Wars site, Towersey explains they're fascinated by the filmmaking process, and are looking to take the iconic character in new directions while remaining loyal to the original design. "What we do need to do is improve on the mechanics," he says. "We’re currently in a research and design phase where we’re looking at drive options for reliability on all possible terrains, whether it be a one-motor-does-all, or a system which is easily adjusted depending on terrain. We have a few mocked up ideas which we hope to road test very soon.”
R2-D2 is one of only four characters to appear in every Star Wars film so far, along with Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader), Obi-Wan Kenobi and R2-D2's frequent 'companion' C3PO. The confirmation of the robot's inclusion follows a photo of the droid tweeted by production company Bad Robot, also showing Abrams, Kennedy, Towersey and Steeples:
Hi from the workshop! #StarWarsVII pic.twitter.com/9R7JGSfxlC
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) November 14, 2013
Open auditions for a Disney film widely believed to be Episode VII are being held in Filmbase Dublin this weekend.
(Image source, Sarah Worthy)
