STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII - 3 Actresses Up for the Female Lead
According to The Wrap, Lucasfilm and director Rian Johnson are looking at three actresses who could possibly take on a new lead female character that will be introduced in Star Wars: Episode VIII.
Those actresses are Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Golden Globe nominee Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), and Olivia Cooke (The Signal, Bates Motel). These are apparently the top contenders for part, and it was confirmed by multiple people who are familiar with the casting.
These are all talented young actresses. There are no details about the character they could end up playing, so it's hard to say who is right for it. But the two actresses that I'm most familiar with in the group are Cooke and Maslany. The report goes on to say:
Insiders insist it’s early in the casting process and that Johnson is still auditioning actresses, with several rising stars yet to read for him. Others suggest that Johnson is narrowing down the field and that Rodriguez, Maslany and Cooke will be among a group of girls slated to chemistry-read with The Force Awakens star John Boyega before the end of the month.
Maslany was actually up for the lead role in Star Wars: Rogue One, but the part ended up being offered to Felicity Jones, and she took it. Maslany must have made a good impression, though, if Lucasfilm is looking at possibly casting her in this next movie.
Last month we learned that Benicio Del Toro was offered the role of one the villains in the film, and that deal is still in the process of being ironed out.
Disney will release Star Wars: Episode VIII on May 26th, 2017.