The trade reports that Michael Fassbender and Hugo Weaving were also being heavily eyed for the same unnamed part, but that Driver was ultimately Abrams’ top choice and negotiations are now underway to make it official.
Driver, a former Marine and a Julliard grad, also recently appeared on the big screen in projects like Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha.
Scripted by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, Star Wars: Episode VII is rumored to focus on a new generation of heroes and could include appearances by Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in older incarnations of their beloved characters from the original Star Wars trilogy. The film is expected to begin shortly and will hit theaters on December 18, 2015.
