Is Tom Hardy REALLY going to be in Star Wars Episode VIII?
Rumour has it the Mad Max star is following in Daniel Craig's footsteps
The Star Wars internet rumour mill is ALIVE with the sound of whispers about Tom Hardy making an appearance in Episode VIII but is the Mad Max: Fury Road star REALLY going to show up in the upcoming sequel as a stormtrooper?
It's not exactly beyond imagination – we know Daniel Craig had a secret cameo in Episode VII, playing the same kind of role – but how valid are the claims?
The source of the story appears to be MakingStarWars.net. This is the website that first got its paws on the original story for Episode VII thanks to a series of sources on the set of the film, and was pretty much spot on when it came to its spoilerific predications.
"There were rumors recently that Tom Hardy has a part in Star Wars: Episode VIII. We can confirm the authenticity of those rumors as they are in fact true. We were able to confirm the general contents of his sequence with a few of our sources as of late and piece the cameo together. So yes, Tom Hardy does have a small sequence in Star Wars: Episode VIII", they wrote.
MakingStarWars says Craig will play a former pal of Finn's, who gives the young man a right fright when they run into each other. Hardy's stormtrooper doesn't realise Finn has defected from the First Order, though, and lets him go about his business. He merely presumes Finn is on a secret mission.
Absolutely none of this has been verified by Disney, so there's no official confirmation that Hardy is in the film.
And there's no way to know if the actor would even remove his helmet, or choose to remain totally anonymous like Craig did in Episode VII.
With Episode VIII's plot as closely guarded as The Force Awakens, and the film not even due in cinemas until December 2017 (so very far, far away), we'll just have to sit tight and wait to see if Hardy is the stormtrooper we're looking for.
