Hollywood Reporter has word that Oscar nominated actress Felicity Jones (Amazing Spider-Man 2, Like Crazy, The Theory of Everything) is now in talks with Lucasfilm for the female lead in Gareth Edwards' untitled Star Wars film. Jones had been linked along with actresses Rooney Mara, Kate Mara and Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany.
Rumors had suggested otherwise as it was said that Tatiana Maslany was the frontrunner, that seems to be untrue from this new trade report. The film she's working on that led to her dropping out of a play is actually a indie starring opposite Dane DeHaan.
They are also reporting that actors Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty) in the mix for the male lead. There had been suggestions that male lead could be Han Solo and Paul was rumored for that part. This might mean that Edgar could be taking that Boba Fett, but nothing says that's indeed the role.
After Lucasfilm hiring Oscar Isaac in The Force Awakens, there is hope they'll be hiring more latino actors for lead roles.
Latino Review recently suggested that both Boba Fett and Solo would be featured in the film, could there be two male leads?
We should come to expect not to really trust the word of pop-up sites when it comes to Star Wars news. There have been a couple of interesting ones but likely very untrue rumors circling recently.
They include the very busy Michael Fassbender linked for the Boba Fett role (unlikely due to X-Men and Assassin's Creed productions) and Tatiana Maslany playing Sabine from Rebels.
Just a couple of days ago we speculated on the latter, but nothing actually is pointing to that being factual besides the timeline. It's funny that one site's speculation can be another's rumor.
A couple of weeks ago it was confirmed by Gary Whitta (Walking Dead, Book of Eli) that he would be moving on from penning the script for Gareth Edwards' Star Wars spin-off to focus on Fox's adaptation of Mark Millar's Starlight.
Some sites were reporting that franchise writer-producer Simon Kinberg could be coming in to replace Whitta, but that doesn't seem to the be case.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Lucasfilm has hired About A Boy, A Better Life and Cinderella writer Chris Weitz to handle rewrites. It's unknown if the script will be getting page-one rewrites or just touch-ups since production is expected to be soon as casting is already underway. Weitz is an Oscar nominated writer thanks to About A Boy which should help fans feel better about his connections to Twilight.
Latino Review is also giving a bit more insight into the film's plot which had said to revolve around a group of bounty hunters hired to secure the Death Star plans for the Rebel Alliance.
They are also stating that the spin-off will be shooting on location in Mexico with the country possibly doubling for Geonosis, last seen in Attack of The Clones and where Jango Fett was killed by Mace Windu.
This connection to the Fetts might explain why they are hearing that both Han Solo and Boba Fett are going to be in this film.
We've been hearing for ages that these spin-offs would be focusing on one or the other, but having both as major characters would give more freedom to the other spin-offs. Along with exploring their history with each other which was teased in the two original sequels.
How they fit into the film is currently a mystery but it's possible they could have lead roles in this film. At the very least could be setting up their own movies in the future like Josh Trank's untitled sequel. since we know Solo has a criminal past as a smuggler
Concerning the film's casting lineup it's looking like the lead might be a female character. The studio is already reportedly looking at actresses such as Kate Mara, Rooney Mara, Tatiana Maslany and Felicity Jones.
It's possible this character could be already established in the universe, in my opinion it might end-up being linked to Boba Fett or the Rebel Alliance. Latino Review seemed to be taking guesses at what the role could be including characters from Clone Wars, but a couple obvious choices are being left-out and I'm not entirely sure about Lucasfilm setting a film around characters that obscure.
I wouldn't be entirely surprised if we saw Star Wars Rebels' Sabine turnout to be this female character the actresses are testing for. We've been hearing that Rebels which is now confirmed to be set in official canon is likely set during the time period when this spin-off is taking place. Allowing for the characters to interact with people like a young Han Solo or Boba Fett.
Sabine fits the timeline of this spin-off and is the right age for casting.
There has even been hints that characters from the show could be showing-up in this spin-offs or will end-up getting their own movies. Another rumor is that new characters setup in the spin-offs would start appearing in the main films. In the case of Gareth's film would likely be played by older actors if they crossover into Rian Johnson's Episode VIII.
Sabine could be sent into a group of bounty hunters posing as one of them but officially working for the Rebels who are likely bankrolling this daring heist. She could be placed into the group to make sure they don't hand over the plans over to criminals like the Hutts for even more cash or sellout to the Empire by sabotaging the mission.
There's been some talk that Boba's wife or daughter (likely changed to Jango's daughter to fit timeline) could be the character as well. Sabine is Mandorlian and it wouldn't be hard to imagine her actually being related to Jango, maybe being his legitimate daughter and revealed to be the sister of Boba. We know that family plays a big role with the original trilogy and it could become a theme here as well.
Having a film that explores the Mandorlian culture would be something we've never had with the films. Considering they are just as important as the jedi, sith and criminal underworld in the expanded universe.
It's possible we could see the Mandorlian Wars folded into the new films at some point. Since filmmakers are now allowed to pick bits from the games and books for the new films.
However, there is other information that speculates that if a spin-offs did include Fett it would sort of reboot the character slightly. Making a new mystery person behind the mask after killing the Jango clone then becoming the Boba Fett persona.
Prequel fans I'm sure would go nuts but honestly severing ties to the prequels is a good thing. Lucasfilm has already established Stormtroopers aren't clones anymore, so it's possible they could boot the clone Boba as well. Re-establishing a bit of mystery with the character which did make his character cooler not really knowing his origin.
Variety reports that Disney and new director Kenneth Branagh (Jack Ryan, Thor) are looking to cast Emma Watson (Perks of Being A Wallflower, End of The World, Harry Potter) as the lead in Cinderella. Cate Blanchett is locked-in as the evil step-mother.
Variety is reporting Disney has hired another writer to tackle the script for Pirates of The Caribbean 5. Jeff Nathanson best known for writing Catch Me If You Can and Terminal has landed the screenwriting gig. However, he also worked on Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skulls, Speed 2, Tower Heist and Rush Hour 3. A majority of these credits don't scream quality but he might be working on existing drafts. Depp is likely a sure-thing but returning cast members such as Geoffrey Rush and others are currently unknown.
Last we heard On Strange Tides director Rob Marshall confirmed franchise writer Terry Rossio was working on the script. It seemed that Marshall was open to directing it as well. However, CinemaBlend listed a group of hopefuls Disney was looking to direct the fifth installment if Rob didn't return. That list included Tim Burton (Alice In Wonderland), Sam Raimi (Oz, The Great And Powerful), Shawn Levy (Real Steal), Chris Weitz (About A Boy, A Better Life), and Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men).
HeatVision reports that "A Better Life" director Chris Weitz has been hired by Disney to add a write to the Cinderella script. The live-action adaptation already has a draft written by Aline Brosh McKenna (Devil Wears Prada) but seems like they needed a little more added to it. Currently Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go, One Hour Photo) is set to direct but if he sticks around till the end of the production is another matter.
A few years back Romanek butted heads with Universal over the production of the Wolfman which had Mark back out and had Joe Johnson stepping in without being involved very long with the pre-production. The film was ultimately hurt by Mark's exit and it's unknown if he'd be willing to allow another studio make creative changes to his vision. That being said Disney is on a roll with their fairy tale films with Oz, The Great And Powerful (Wizard of Oz), Snow And The Seven (Snow White) and Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) also on the horizon.
CinemaBlend has word that Disney is eager to start developing Pirates 5 and are looking for a director. Not surprising as the fourth film is already north of $640 million. While they have a script in place from Terry Rossio as reported by HollywoodReporter. The curious thing is that Rob Marshall hasn't officially signed on to direct, yet is still wanted by the studio (just lip-service?). While successful financially the fourth film got only average reviews from critics. Blend has word that Disney is looking at Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, Shawn Levy, Alfonso Cuarón and Chris Weitz for the fifth installment.
Burton had been looked at for Pirates 4 but never signed on. He's becoming a studio stable with Alice In Wonderland, Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie and his Sleeping Beauty project Maleficent. I like the idea of Burton entering the world of Pirates but I'm not sure he would deliver a film any better than the previous ones.
Sam Raimi is directing the studio's next big fairy tale picture Oz, The Great & Powerful the Oz prequel which focuses on a young wizard. Raimi seems like the safest choice out of the bunch and could give audiences a fun film if given breathing room. My only concern is that he also had been working on pre-production for Warcraft which is likely his next film.
Alfonso Cuarón is the director that should be turning heads. His wonderful film Children of Men proved he's got the visual and storytelling chops that most directors inspired to have. Giving audiences family friendly entertainment with The Prisoner of Azkaban while keeping his dark style. Alfonso also has the promise of pumping the new blood needed to keep the franchise going. Unlike Raimi and Burton, Cuarón isn't deep in development on other large projects.
The filler choices seem to be Shawn Levy (Date Night, Real Steel) and Chris Weitz (Golden Compass) neither directors of garnered praise or success for their previous films as of yet. Levy is set to direct a remake of The Fantastic Voyage for producer James Cameron. There have also been talk of other projects with Hugh Jackman including a Real Steel sequel. Weitz seems an odd choice and left field when compared to the other candidates.
