So far the only character confirmed 100% to appear in Star Wars: Episode VII is diminutive droid R2D2. But another stalwart of the long-running space saga is reportedly being built at London's Pinewood studios: the Millennium Falcon.
The legendary space freighter, which Harrison Ford's Han Solo adapted himself for extra speed (and which can reputedly make the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs) was last seen on the big screen in 1983's Return of the Jedi. Now Latino Review quotes a source suggesting the ship's interior has already been completed at Pinewood, where director JJ Abrams will shoot Star Wars: Episode VII early next year.
The Millennium Falcon's return suggests Solo himself is likely to appear in the Disney-produced Star Wars film, which is tipped to be the first of a new trilogy. The studio purchased all rights to the series via a buyout of George Lucas's LucasFilm for $4.05bn (£2.48bn) in October 2012. Ford himself has been taciturn about his chances of returning to his best-known role, telling UK talk show host Graham Norton last month that he had "not quite made the choice".
Latino Review has a track record of attention-grabbing scoops, though its accuracy has occasionally been called into question. The blog correctly predicted that Disney-owned Marvel would make cosmic space ensemble Guardians of the Galaxy its next big screen comic book adaptation, causing dismay and threats of legal action at the studio. But it also reported in March that Christian Bale would return to the role of Batman for studio Warner Bros, a suggestion later torpedoed when it emerged Ben Affleck had agreed to be the new caped crusader.
Yahoo Movies also suggests the Millennium Falcon will be back, and will be the biggest version of the spacecraft ever built. "A full-scale 1:1 Millennium Falcon has been built as well as the interiors of the ship for filming," a source told the site. "The Falcon is done – inside and out. The sets were built off-site, ready to move when Lucasfilm/Bad Robot were ready to move into Pinewood."
Star Wars: Episode VII is due in cinemas in December 2015.
