Could this be why he dropped out of Crimson Peak? Benedict Cumberbatch is the latest actor to have his name associated with a role in Star Wars: Episode VII. And while we’ll not discount any rumor just yet, like any other Star Wars “news” floating around, it’s best to examine this with a rather critical eye.

• Unlike recent rumors about Alex Pettyfer and Rachel Hurd-Wood, this tidbit (via the folks at Film Chronicles) doesn’t come with details like “he’s been called in to read.” Also, while the Latino Review (source of the Pettyfer/Hurd-Wood rumors) has been wrong on a few details, they’ve also been privy to quite a bit of supposed insider information when it comes to the newest Star Wars entry. All Film Chronicles is offering is that Cumberbatch’s casting is the answer to what big news Lucasfilm seems primed to release. 
• While J.J. Abrams hasn’t been shy about bringing on old hands from his Star Trek films, hiring someone behind the camera is quite different from hiring someone in front of it. Cumberbatch has been in a lot of movies lately, so many that his face might be distracting in something like Star Wars. If he does indeed make it into the pic, we’re of the opinion that the smart thing to do would be to put him in heavy makeup and/or alien costume, not something that’s being suggested in association with his purported casting. He would make a good Thrawn, wouldn’t he…but we digress.

That said, there are reasons to believe there may be some truth here.

• Though it hardly qualifies someone to be in the movie, Cumberbatch is a self-proclaimed Star Wars fan. We can see him jumping at the opportunity if offered, which could indeed explain his departure from Crimson Peak, as both films are scheduled to begin shooting early next year.
  
• Going back to the casting rundown that broke a while ago, Cumberbatch seems to fit “Thirtysomething male, intellectual. Apparently doesn’t need to be fit” pretty well (no knock on his physique, we’re focusing more on the first part).

Lucusfilm is still due to give some sort of official news, most likely a casting announcement of some sort, any day now, so hopefully all this madness will get cleared up soon…and we can start speculating as to the characters and plot.