Big news in the world of Star Wars: Episode VII as a new name has been mentioned for an actor auditioning for a lead in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming sequel, and that’s 25-year-old actor Jesse Plemons, who starred in AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights.”

It was on the former show that Plemons became more well known, having taken the role of Todd, a seemingly clueless kid with connections to the mob whose decision to shoot a witness causes all sorts of problems for Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. Plemons has also appeared in such disparate films as Peter Berg’s Battleship and Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master.

The actor is scheduled to meet with director J.J. Abrams next week after taping a well-received audition, and one assumes his resemblance to a younger Mark Hamill would put him in the role of Luke Skywalker’s son in the movie, although no actual role has been revealed. TheWrap found no less than three sources for this information.

Plemons, a Texas native, played Paul Walker’s younger brother in Varsity Blues and a younger version of Matt Damon’s character in All the Pretty Horses before getting a gig as a regular, Landry Clarke, on Peter Berg’s football series “Friday Night Lights.”

Plemons will also appear in Stephen Frears’ upcoming Untitled Lance Amstrong Biopic and in Tommy Lee Jones’ drama The Homesman.

There are still rumors out there that Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sullivan Stapleton are in the running for roles, but none of them have been confirmed.

Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled for release on December 18, 2015.

(Photo source: Brian To/WENN.com)