Suvudu Universe

As exciting it is to hear news about Star Wars: Episode VII, I think it’s even more exciting to find out the direction of where Star Wars Rebels is headed, which is why you’ll find me first in line for the Rebels panel at New York Comic Con. Until then, The Hollywood Reporter recently reported that five actors are in talks to join the voice cast for Disney and Lucasfilm’s new animated series.

THR/HeatVision has learned that David Oyelowo, Freddie Prinze Jr., Vanessa Marshall, Taylor Gray and Steven Jay Blum are in the process of being cast as the voice leads for the series, which will make its debut in fall 2014.

David Oyelowo (Red Tails, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is also rumored to be in Star Wars: Episode VII. Rumors are also floating around stating that Oyelowo’s character will appear in Star Wars Rebels and transition into the sequel trilogy. If that is true, the method would definitely ensure a strong viewership for the animated series–not that it’s necessary, since the Star Wars community is generally excited to have a series focus on the era between Episode III and IV.

Freddie Prinze Jr. (Mass Effect 3, Scooby Doo) is not new to the world of voice acting, since he played Lt. James Vega in Mass Effect 3. Personally, I am particularly excited about his name being associated with this project because I was a big fan of his growing up. I especially loved his television sitcom, Freddie, that was on ABC from 2005-2006. Also, it’s no secret that Freddie is a genuine Star Wars fan.

Steve Blum (Transformers Prime, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, The Legend of Korra, Cowboy Bebop) is also reported to be the voice of a character for the new series. Blum has voiced various characters for several different Star Wars video games. Most recently, he played Andronikos Revel and Baron Deathmark in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Vanessa Marshall (Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy) has also participated in a few Star Wars projects, most notably as the Alderaanian intelligence operative Jan Ors from Star Wars: Jedi Knight II – Jedi Outcast. If Vanessa is truly on board, we could definitely expect an awesome female to play a part in the series, like Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As we already know, there aren’t many females in the Star Wars universe, so it’d be great to see what the creators have planned.

Taylor Gray (Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures) took to Twitter yesterday and thanked everyone for congratulating him on the big news. Taylor linked The Hollywood Reporter article in one tweet and stated, “Always wanted to be a Jedi!” Safe to say that the report will be made official by Disney and Lucasfilm in the near future.

Cool article that came out today. Always wanted to be a Jedi! #StarWars m.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/st…
—
Taylor Gray (@_Taylor_Gray_) September 24, 2013

(via THR)