The first stand-alone Star Wars film has already begun casting. Rooney Mara and Tatiana Maslany, among other actresses, are testing for the female lead role in the Star Wars spinoff.
The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reported that the Gareth Edwards-directed Star Wars film is testing female leads. One of the actresses testing for the role is Tatiana Maslany. Maslany currently stars in the BBC America series Orphan Black . Rooney Mara will also test for a female lead. Rooney is famous for her stint as Lisbeth Salandar in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo . Readings also took place in the U.K. in December.
ICYMI: Rooney Mara, Felicity Jones & Tatiana Maslany Being Eyed For Next ‘Star Wars’ FIlm http://t.co/2Oy4A9bXi4 pic.twitter.com/vKpfJyno00
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Edwards, the director of last year’s Godzilla , will direct this Star Wars stand-alone. This film has a release date of December 16, 2016, which falls between Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its sequel. Garry Whitta wrote the first script, but has since left the Star Wars project, as covered by the Inquisitr . New rumored writers include Simon Kinberg, who is writing the other Star Wars stand-alone film, as well as X-Men and Fantastic Four rewrites. Only two stand-alone Star Wars films are in development at this time. Josh Trank will direct the second film.
Felicity Jones is also on the want list for the stand-alone Star Wars . Jones was recently nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actress category for her work in The Theory of Everything . However, Felicity may face scheduling issues between Star Wars and Ron Howard’s Inferno , the Da Vinci Code sequel.
Screenrant reports that the subject of the Star Wars film ranges anywhere from a bounty hunter-focused movie potentially with Boba Fett, or to adventures with young Han Solo, Leia, or Yoda. The script by Whitta was earlier rumored to center on “a heist about stealing the plans for the Death Star by a group of bounty hunters” but that rumor also said that the character would be introduced in The Force Awakens . Sorry, Boba Fett.
Screenrant thinks that Princess Leia is a natural conclusion after seeing the actresses who are reading for the Star Wars role.
“Many will jump to the conclusion that the role being cast is a young Princess Leia. And really it isn’t outside the realm of possibility if the film is indeed about stealing the plans for the Death Star, keeping in mind it’s Leia who is eventually in possession of the stolen plans. Also, it’s worth noting these actresses do share some likenesses with a young Carrie Fisher.”
[Photo Source: io9]