Hey, wannabe Jedi: time to start shopping for flights to the UK or Ireland.
There is a massive open casting call for a generic "Walt Disney Pictures film" on Nov. 9 and 10 in Bristol, continuing through Nov. 24 in Glasgow, London, Manchester and Dublin. The call is for two characters — a 17- to 18-year-old "street-smart" woman, and a 19- to 23-year-old orphaned man.
See also: One Year of Disney Star Wars: What We've Learned
Though Lucasfilm hasn't yet confirmed it, there are several very good reasons to believe this is a Star Wars Episode VII casting call for director J.J. Abrams. There's nothing else on the Disney docket that would require or justify casting such a wide net for unknown actors.
The characters mirror two that were mentioned in an earlier call for seven more established actors, one that Lucasfilm did confirm. Bleeding Cool, the blog that broke the news of the earlier call, says this one is the real deal, as does the BBC, the Guardian and a host of other well-sourced sites.
The kicker, however, is that Star Wars Insider, the official Lucasfilm magazine, has been getting very excited about the casting call, tweeting and discussing it in interviews — something it doesn't do for a run-of-the-mill Star Wars rumor.
The filmmakers may be looking for British actors, which would make sense in the Star Wars universe — pretty much all of the highborn members of that galaxy far, far away, and the occasional Jedi, speak with British accents. But the casting agent behind this call, Claire Curry, confirmed on her Facebook page that all nationalities will be accepted at the casting call. (The female role, at least, is also open to all ethnicities.)
See also: Star Wars Episode VII Screenwriter Is Out
You need bring only one thing to the call: a headshot. "These do not need to be professional," Curry confirmed.
Given the fact that more than 13,000 people signed up for Curry's newly minted Twitter account, @UKopencall, you'll also need to be prepared for a line longer than any Star Wars premiere.
Details are below for those who want to participate — and may the Force be with you.
Image: Keith Tsuji, Getty Images Entertainment