'Star Wars: Episode 7': Carrie Fisher's Daughter & Andy Serkis Lead Latest Updates & Rumors

Another week begins, which means more "Star Wars: Episode 7" morsels to hopefully help manage your patience as you await December 2015, which is still the release date for the sequel, despite the protestations of director J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy. And these latest updates involve casting, with one rumored name joining the ensemble, and another sharing early details about his role.

You might have forgotten, but then the first wave of actors for the movie was officially announced back in the spring, mo-cap specialist Andy Serkis was among them, and speaking with SciFiNow, he elaborates on his participation in the project. “It’s extraordinary. I grew up with ‘Star Wars’ and was a massive fan of the original films. I never imagined in a million years that I’d be engaging with this. It’s just come about so organically," Serkis said.

“JJ Abrams and I met, and we just had this incredible kind of vibe between us. He said, ‘You’d fit really well in this universe,’ and I said, ‘I think I probably could.’ We’re working very closely, as I say, in two ways: [Serkis’ company] the Imaginarium is providing all of the performance characters, and I myself am playing a character in it," he added. In short: Serkis looks to be pretty heavily involved in front of and behind the camera for this one.

Meanwhile, it would appear that new cast members are being added. According to The Tracking Board, Carrie Fisher‘s daughter Billie Lourd is making her screen debut in the franchise film. This is not confirmed, and of course, if it is true, there are no details on the size of her part. So we’ll have to see what comes of it.