Are Ryan Gosling, Zac Efron, and Leonardo DiCaprio up for ‘Star Wars Episode VII’ roles?

The Force is strong with this rumour!

With pre-production on J. J. Abrams’ highly anticipated “Star Wars Episode VII” already underway and filming set to begin in just a few months, rumours about the film’s potential cast have begun to circulate.

According to Latino Review, megastar Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Great Gatsby”), Canadian actor Ryan Gosling (“Drive”) and Zac Efron (“The Paperboy”) recently met with producers to discuss possible involvement in the “Star Wars” sequels. DiCaprio apparently passed on the project, but Gosling and Efron are rumoured to still be very much in the mix.

Set about 30 years after the events of “Return of the Jedi,” the new “Star Wars” movies will reportedly focus on the children of original trilogy heroes Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. Original trilogy actors Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher are all set to reprise their roles in the upcoming sequels, so if Gosling and Efron did get parts in “Episode VII,” there’s little doubt that they would be playing "Star Wars: The Next Generation."

Gosling is apparently being eyed for the role of Skywalker’s son, but Latino Review’s source didn’t reveal the part that Efron is wanted for. The theory is that the former “High School Musical” star might have auditioned for the role of Han and Leia’s son, but for all we know Efron could very well have been reading for the same part that Gosling went in for. Both actors would fit the bill for several roles described in the “Episode VII” casting breakdowns that leaked last month.

In the expanded “Star Wars” continuity, Skywalker’s son is named Ben (named after Luke’s venerable Jedi Master Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi) and becomes a formidable Jedi Knight in his own right after living in the shadow of his father for many years. Han and Leia’s son Jacen Solo follows a similar path, but eventually becomes the evil Darth Caedus after turning to the dark side.

Thanks to decades’ worth of officially licensed novels, comics, and video games, those character names and bios are currently canon as far as Lucasfilm is concerned. However, it’s unknown if series creator George Lucas adapted Ben Skywalker and Jacen Solo for his sequel story treatments or if Abrams and screenwriter Michael Arndt even plan to go in that direction for “Episode VII.”

Both actors could conceivably play either part. Efron's got the plucky attitude needed to play a young Jedi trying to prove himself to his father, and he's also got the looks required to play the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia. As evidenced by movies like "Drive" and "Only God Forgives," Gosling could easily play a brooding Jedi Knight gone bad, but he's also shown that he can play a wise-cracking Han Solo-type rogue in movies like "Crazy Stupid Love" and "Gangster Squad." It all depends on what Abrams and company are looking for.

Though Lucasfilm was noticeably absent from the recent San Diego Comic-Con, many expect the studio to make some formal “Star Wars” casting announcements at Disney's D23 Expo in a few weeks. Gosling and Efron certainly aren’t the only actors being courted for roles in the new "Star Wars" trilogy, but they are the only names we've heard so far. Expect more rumours to abound until the official announcement.

Do you think Gosling and Efron would be right for roles in "Star Wars Episode VII"? Who would you like to see play the son of Luke Skywalker?

"Star Wars Episode VII" is scheduled for a summer 2015 release.