STAR WARS EPISODE VII Taking Two Weeks Off For Harrison Ford’s Bones

Buried at the bottom of a casting announcement on StarWars.com - announcing two unknowns hired for unkown roles - comes the latest update in the Harrison Ford Leg Saga:

In August, the team will take a brief two-week hiatus while adjustments to the current production schedule are made as actor Harrison Ford recovers from a leg injury. Harrison is doing well and is looking forward to returning to the set soon. Shooting remains on track to wrap in the fall with the film scheduled for release on December 18, 2015.

How weird is it that they just say 'leg injury?' It's all part of the spin - by downplaying the severity of the injury (it's a straight up broken leg) they downplay any chance of the film being delayed. It is not in danger of being delayed, though, as I've explained here. I do wonder what this two week hiatus will turn into; will the film just keep rolling on through early 2015, or will shooting actually finish this fall, as claimed? I feel doubtful that things will go smoothly.

As for the new hires: who knows! One is a parkour expert, so he'll certainly have action, and likely Jedi-related action. That's Pip Anderson. The other role went to Crystal Clarke, a black actress from America studying in Glasgow. It's totally unclear what this role is like - it could be just the new version of Keira Knightley as a handmaiden in Episode I - but the inclusion of Clarke does go a long way towards making Episode VII the most diverse Star Wars film... which is a low bar to clear, as the previous six films had more green aliens than non-white humans.