Daniel Craig has denied rumours he will cameo as a Stormtrooper in the new Star Wars movie.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the James Bond star blamed fellow British actor Simon Pegg for the reports, and said he could never imagine taking such a small role in JJ Abrams’ upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
“Why would I ever bother doing something like that?” he told the US magazine. “Pffft. Play an extra in another movie?”
Craig added: “Talk to Simon Pegg. He obviously knows way more than I do. He’s just jealous because he’s not in Star Wars. He’s got some issue with JJ [Abrams] — I don’t know what the [expletive] it is. You need to talk to Simon about it.”
Rumours of Craig’s involvement began in May after Pegg, who starred in Mission: Impossible 3 and two Star Trek movies for Abrams and had been spotted on set in Abu Dhabi, was asked by the Sun to confirm his own cameo in the seventh live action Star Wars film. “I wasn’t a Stormtrooper. Daniel Craig, he was a Stormtrooper,” said the British actor, before adding: “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Ironically, Pegg confirmed his appearance as a mysterious alien in the new film at this weekend’s Comic Con, appearing in and out of a partial costume during behind the scenes footage screened for fans. Conspiracy theorists reckoned Craig might also be involved because the shoot for the new James Bond movie, Spectre, nudged up against the one for The Force Awakens at Pinewood Studios earlier this year. The Sun also described Craig as a huge Star Wars fan during its coverage.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is due in cinemas on December 18 and is widely tipped to be 2015’s highest-grossing movie of what looks set to be a record-breaking year for Hollywood at the global box office. Returning stars Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo) all took part in the special Comic Con event, along with newcomers Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver and Gwendoline Christie.
