J.J. Abrams mulls which young man’s career he will ruin with Star Wars lead role

An exclusive report from Variety has the shortlist of hot dudes whom director J.J. Abrams is looking over as he decides whose career he will destroy with the lead role in a Star Wars film. Abrams has actors like Breaking Bad’s Jesse Plemons and Downton Abbey’s Ed Speelers lined up like so many pieces of meat. According to Variety, Abrams is “eyeing” these actors carefully before he chooses which performer will be remembered for nothing but a spaceships-and-lasers movie for the rest of his life. Attack The Block star John Boyega is also among the men whose lightsaber-gripping skills Abrams will evaluate, as are legitimate theater actors Matthew James Thomas and Ray Fisher. While the search is ongoing, these five fellows are supposedly the top candidates to be plucked from semi-obscurity, launched to global stardom, and swiftly returned to semi-obscurity again.

Hayden Christensen was available for comment.