Some fan art inspired by the upcoming Star Wars movie

Warning: potential minor spoilers ahead regarding the plot of Star Wars: Episode VII

Oh, goodness me, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon of massive hype and wild speculation. We make no secret of the fact that here at mxdwn Movies we love us some Star Wars. When it was announced that Disney had bought Lucasfilm and would be making more Star Wars movies, we nearly fainted. When it was announced that J.J. Abrams would be directing the first of these, we nearly fainted again (though for different reasons – nothing against J.J., but don’t tell me we were the only ones concerned about Star Trek and Star Wars looking way too similar). There has been massive speculation, of course, as to where in the expanded universe timeline these sequels would fit, or if they would fit at all. Would they overthrow book “cannon” and create an entirely new Star Wars universe?

Well, it seems maybe not. An unconfirmed, and we stress, unconfirmed, report out today from the website Schmoes Know claims to have a source that has seen a storyline and two character breakdowns that are supposedly about to start making the rounds. The two characters? Jacen and Jaina Solo, twin children of Han and Leia. If the storyline is to be believed, this sequel trilogy will be about Jacen’s fall to the dark side as he becomes Darth Caedus, which comes straight out of the Expanded Universe of Star Wars books, games, comics, and TV shows. Jacen’s character breakdown suggests that this transformation will take place over multiple films rather than occur in just this one, as it claims he “Will eventually become Darth Caedus.”

Jacen and Jaina Solo

It’s hard to escape the feeling that this sequel trilogy might be trying to redeem George Lucas’s much-reviled prequels. The story again centers on the fall of a young Jedi Knight as he struggles internally “with the idea of what’s right and what’s wrong.” It seems they’ve learned at least one lesson, however: Jacen and Jaina will start out as 17-year-olds, not children.

The leak, if true (and Schmoes Know stresses the tenuous nature of their own source), also points to the nature of Mark Hammill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford, all of whom have been rather more than rumored at this point to have roles in the new pictures. Hammill seems virtually confirmed at this point as the “Two 17 year old twins, a girl and a boy, are trained by their uncle Luke.”

Lending credence to the leak is Abrams announcement at this past week’s Produced By conference that Star Wars: Episode VII is to begin production early next year. That’s not a lot of time left to lock down a cast, though certainly Abrams will not be wanting for actors looking to play the lead roles.

We’re just about giddy with (very) nervous anticipation here at mxdwn Movies, so be sure to check back for more Star Wars news in the coming months!