Mark Hamill recently said "we" (meaning he, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford) were still negotiating for appearances in "Star Wars: Episode VII," but Carrie Fisher confirmed she was signed and Harrison Ford has not said anything at all. George Lucas, though, the mind behind the epic sci-fi series, has spilled the beans, it was reported on Thursday.
The big oops was:
We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison -- or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation. So I called them to say, "Look, this is what's going on."
The light bulb went off quickly, though, as Lucas backtracked, saying,
Maybe I’m not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them.
In a final bid to cover his tracks, he added,
I won’t say whether the negotiations were successful or not.
It is possible, since in the first sentence above he mentioned "final stages of negotiation," that things fell apart. It's pretty unlikely, though, if they are that close, that the ink won't dry on the paper.
Ford, Hamill and Fisher have all publicized their desire to reprise their "Star Wars" roles. The Ford deal was reported in mid-February to be signed and sealed, but it was never confirmed, and some other later reports disputed that.
A few days later, Hamill confirmed he had been approached by Lucas. In addition, Fisher's statements -- and Lucas' mistake -- seem to seal the deal, meaning that all three are returning.
Lucas' FUBAR is the second slip of the lip in the past few days. Earlier, it seemed that Kate Middleton revealed the gender of the upcoming heir to the British throne with a single letter mistake.
The still untitled "Star Wars: Episode VII" is scheduled for release in 2015. The film will feature a screenplay from "Toy Story 3" and "Little Miss Sunshine" screenwriter Michael Arndt, and will be directed by J.J. Abrams, who also helms the rebooted -- and rival -- science fiction series, "Star Trek."
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