‘Star Wars’: Harrison Ford injury delays shooting; cast adds two

Han Solo may be the man who can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, but his off-screen alter ego is going to need a bit more time than that. As a result of actor Harrison Ford’s broken leg suffered on the set of “Star Wars: Episode VII” last month, production on the highly anticipated space opera will be suspended for two weeks in August, Disney and Lucasfilm announced Sunday.

The hiatus reverses the filmmakers’ initial plan, which was for shooting to continue as planned while Ford recuperated.

According to a statement on the “Star Wars” website, “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.”

In addition to the Ford update, the “Star Wars” filmmakers also unveiled two new cast members: American actress Crystal Clarke and British actor Pip Andersen.

Clarke is currently studying in Glasgow, Scotland, and will make her feature film debut in “The Moon and the Sun” next year. Andersen is a parkour specialist who recently displayed his agility in a “Spider-Man” ad for Sony.

Both actors were plucked from a casting call last year that spanned 11 cities across the U.S. and U.K. and drew more than 67,000 hopefuls via both in-person auditions and online applications.

“The ‘Star Wars’ universe has always been about discovering and nurturing young talent and in casting ‘Episode VII’ we wanted to remain absolutely faithful to this tradition,” producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement. “We are delighted that so many travelled to see us at the open casting calls and that we have been able to make Crystal and Pip a part of the film.”

Further stoking “Star Wars” fervor over the holiday weekend was the release of a fan-made video cheekily described as leaked footage from the set of “Episode VII.” The video, which quickly went viral, shows the Imperial Army swarming Frankfurt International Airport in Germany.

Another notable “Star Wars” fan — “Clerks” director Kevin Smith — also talked about visiting the set of “Episode VII” during an appearance at the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland on Saturday.

Describing what he saw on J.J. Abrams’ set, Smith said, “I saw uniforms, I saw artillery that I haven’t seen since I was a kid. I saw them shooting an actual sequence on a set that is real. I walked across the set, there were explosions, and it looked like a shot right out of a … ‘Star Wars’ movie.”

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