With demand for stronger female roles at an all-time high andKathleen Kennedydriving the ship as an executive producer, you’re able to expect that we’ll see more women emerging amongst the stars in thatgalaxy far, far away. LucasFilm and directorRian Johnsonare rumored to be seeking a strong female lead for the next sequelStar Wars: Episode VIII. This comes afterStar Wars: The Force Awakensupped the female ante quite a bit. It features three main female characters that includeDaisy Ridleyas Rey,Lupita Nyong’oas Maz Kanata (a mo-cap/CGI creation) andGwendoline Christieas Captain Phasma (who wears a chrome stormtrooper getup for the majority of the film).Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryhasFelicity Jonesas its central character (though she is surrounded by an otherwise all-male cast).
When theStar Wars: The Force Awakenscast was announced, it came under fire for only having one new central female character inDaisy Ridley, who was joining the franchise’s only other substantial female presenceCarrie Fisher. Throughout its first six films, theStar Warsfranchise has always been front loaded bymale actors. It makes sense thatKathleen Kennedywould want to help continue to change that. Though, at this point, we haven’t heard any real news about Star Wars: Episode VIII aside from the fact thatBenicio Del Torois considering taking on the role of themain villain. He has not signed on yet.
There is still much we don’t know aboutStar Wars: The Force Awakens. A few confirmed plot details have come forward, but the main thrust of the story has yet to be revealed aside from some unsubstantiated rumors. Even when it comes to Rey and Finn, we don’t truly know who they are, or what their heritage is. And aside from the title Knights of Ren, we don’t quite know howKylo Renfits into the overall arc. We do know that he is a Darth Vader Obsessive. And he is a relic collector who seeks out Jedi and Sith artifacts. We also know that Luke Skywalker’s original blue lightsaber, now in the possession of Princess Leia, somehow sits intoStar Wars: The Force Awakens' two hour structure.
GeekNataion first discovered that Star Wars: Episode VIII may be seeking a new female lead. This is interesting in that the previous two trilogies didn’t introduce any new lead hero characters, aside from Lando inStar Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, and in his two movies he was always a secondary, though very important, presence. This new female character is said to be one of the primary heroes, and may be tied to one of the series' more prominent characters.
Sources claim thatRian Johnsonis heavily involved in the process of finding a new actress. This makes sense, asKathleen Kennedyannounced over the course of D23 that the movie would solely be his creatively, as he works from what directorJ.J. Abramsand co-writerLawrence Kasdanhave already established in Star Wars: Episode VIII. The rumor goes onto state that this new female lead character is Han Solo’s daughter. Right now, many believe thatDaisy Ridley’s Rey is Han Solo’s daughter, that’s why they’re keeping her last name a secret. And she even goes as far as to pilot the Millennium Falcon at one point. But maybe all the rumors and speculations about this trilogy starter are wrong?
It’s now being speculated that Han Solo’s daughter isn’t being introduced inStar Wars: The Force Awakensat all. That Rey, Finn, Kylo and Poe Dameron are all individual presences without a tie to the force. Though, that doesn’t make sense when it comes to Luke Skywalker’s line about how strong the force is in his family. Someone inStar Wars: The Force Awakensbelongs to the Skywalker/Solo bloodline…Right?
Perhaps the reveal of Han Solo’s daughter is being saved for Star Wars: Episode VIII? We won’t likely know until this December, when all ofStar Wars: The Force Awakenssecrets are revealed. It isn’t known how deep into the casting processRian Johnson,Kathleen Kennedy, LucasFilm and Disney are. There are no front runners announced at this time. And the character’s role in this new trilogy will probably be kept a secret if this all pans out. Star Wars: Episode VIII will be the first new franchise film to open in the traditional spot of May, afterStar Wars: The Force AwakensandRogue One: A Star Wars Storywere given winter release dates to meet the demands of shareholders. That’s a key right there that this may only be about money. So should you even care?
