Are they in or aren't they? That's the biggest question revolving around 'Star Wars: Episode 7' at the moment: is the original cast actually returning? We've heard "confirmations" from various sources, but there's still a large question mark hovering over the matter.

Today we might be a little closer to a definitive answer on the 'Star Wars: Episode 7' cast, coming straight from George Lucas himself.

An interesting article in Bloomberg Business Week titled 'How Disney Bought Lucasfilm - and its Plans for Star Wars' includes a few choice quotes from Lucas, who reveals that negotiations with the original cast were on-going before the blockbuster acquisition by Disney in October.

We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison—or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation. So I called them to say, ‘Look, this is what’s going on.’ Maybe I’m not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them. I won’t say whether the negotiations were successful or not.

Well, it sure sounds like you just spilled the beans, George. If short of a 100% official no-two-ways-about-it confirmation, this only adds credibility to the rumors regarding Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher's return to the 'Star Wars' universe. (The recent denial by Fisher's reps that she's on board have thrown a bit of a wet blanket over things; they might just be covering their behinds, though.)

Furthermore, the idea of a TV show is once again brought up, the article stating that "ABC and Lucasfilm are discussing a live-action TV series". This has been pondered for years, and looks like it's no closer to becoming a reality, but it's still worth salivating over just a bit for fanboys.

The article really breaks down the stages of the acquisition, Lucas' feelings on the matter and what the plans are for 'Star Wars' going forward, so if you're interested in such things (we're guessing you are), it's a worthwhile read. Check it out here.

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