J.J. Abrams is notorious for keeping his cards close to the chest, whether it's straight-up lying to the press about casting and plot twists, or releasing head-scratching footage for his "secret projects." With 'Star Wars: Episode 7,' it was incredible how nearly the entire cast was kept under wraps until the big announcement, but is there at least one more big name to be revealed? We're referring to his 'Star Trek Into Darkness' buddy Simon Pegg.

The comedian, famous for his collaborations with director Edgar Wright, has said time and time again that he won't be in 'Star Wars: Episode 7.' He was quoted in The Independent as saying, "I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to be in it, to be honest. I think J.J. should cast new faces with no stunt casting." Okay, fair enough. But even with those comments out in the public domain, a new report places the actor and sci-fi aficionado on the film's Abu Dhabi set.

According to IGN Middle East, Pegg is "playing a secret role in the film and was present on set to shoot scenes in Abu Dhabi." Now, here's where we have to police a little -- Pegg, who's already friendly with the 'Star Wars: Episode 7' director, could simply be visiting the set as a courtesy of Abrams to see what's up. British Chancellor George Osborne recently did the same when he went to the UK set to announce the filming location of the upcoming spinoff, while a Disney Channel star similarly went to just observe.

However, here's where J.J.'s track record works against him -- 'Star Trek' fans know all too well of the hoops the director jumped through to keep the truth behind 'Into Darkness' a secret. Both he and Benedict Cumberbatch, who was revealed to be playing famed villain Khan, straight-up lied to media on countless occasions about his character's true identity. Could Pegg be similarly misleading press in order to keep his true dealings a secret?

'Star Wars: Episode 7' features a cast of returning and new players, including 'Girls' star Adam Driver, Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o, 'Attack the Block' star John Boyega and 'Game of Thrones' fan favorite Gwendoline Christie. The film will drop on December 18, 2015, at which time we'll know for sure whether this rumor holds any water.

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