After making his debut in 2006's This Is England, O'Connell has went on to appear in the likes of Eden Lake, Harry Brown and Tower Block, as well as a recurring role in the teen drama Skins. Next year he'll be seen in 300: Rise of an Empire, while he's also been pinpointed as a potential candidate for the role of Mr. Fantastic in 20th Century Fox's reboot The Fantastic Four.
Of course, over the past year we've had so many names thrown up as potential additions to the cast of Episode VII, so at this point it's probably best to take everything with a pinch of salt until we finally start getting some official casting news out of Lucasfilm.