[Potential SPOILER for Star Wars: Episode VIII ahead.]
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Having made just over $2 billion during its global domination of the box office, Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the phenomenon many predicted it to be. With merchandise flying off shelves and new sets of action figures adding to fans' expanding collections, it wasn't long before the trailer to stand-alone movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story came along. But The Force Awakens' actual sequel, Star Wars: Episode VIII, is a film thats also 's everyone's lips, in the hope of discovering what happens to protagonists Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (Jon Boyega), as well as where the story leads involving Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Some may recall Daniel Craig's uncredited cameo as the stormtrooper that releases Rey from her shackles under the influence of The Force in The Force Awakens, which proved a great comedic scene in a movie that was littered with nods, wit, and a generous helping of humour. And with that, the latest rumored news is that Mad Max: Fury Road star Tom Hardy is about to don the infamous white armor for a cameo of his own.
According to Making Star Wars, Hardy's set to appear in Episode VIII in a similar capacity to Craig's appearance. They claim the rumors about a role are true, stating the Brit actor will play a stormtrooper serving in The First Order.
According to MSW, Hardy plays a First Order stormtrooper who recognises FN-2187 (aka Boyega's Finn) while he's on a secret mission. Finn, unaware he's been spotted, get a shock when the trooper appears behind him and slaps him on the behind. Believing he's been rumbled and is about to be taken prisoner, he's surprised when the stormtrooper recognises him as an old friend from the days of the First Order's training academy. The trooper congratulates FN-2187 on his promotion as a Resistance Infiltrator, much to his relief.
The scene, if it turns out to be true, certainly is of a similar ilk to Daniel Craig's, in another cameo that could very easily be missed if you're not aware already aware of it. In Craig's cameo he's masked throughout, but you can recognise his voice during the brief lines he repeats as Rey controls his mind. Chances are Hardy will also remain masked, recognizable only by his voice.
What's interesting here is, as the scene suggests, even the stormtroopers that knew Finn seem unaware of his rebellion against Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson). The likelihood is they've kept this anomaly hidden from the troops so it doesn't encourage desertion or an uprising within their own ranks - assuming this rumor is true, of course.
As with one-liners and nods littered in The Force Awakens, Episode VIII, directed by Rian Johnson (Looper), looks set to follow the same sharp and witty tone, and with news of this cameo, it could be a worthy follow-up to what J.J. Abrams delivered so successfully at the tail end of 2015.
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens is available on DVD & Blu-ray now, with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opening in U.S. theaters on December 16, 2016, followed by Star Wars: Episode VIII on December 15, 2017, the Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film on May 25, 2018, Star Wars: Episode IX in 2019, and the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.
Source: Making Star Wars