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.
Latino Review has an interesting bit of news concerning what aliens we might be seeing return for The Force Awakens. They've learned that J.J. Abrams had a couple of expensive Hutts created for the film, and there is talk they could end-up being redressed or altered to be included in the spin-offs.
Here's what the site has to say about the Hutts returning.
Well, I can forward that timeline for you today: there are Hutts in The Force Awakens, we know because those Hutts have been practically built. I know there is more than one Hutt, but unsure how many exactly are going to show up. The process of constructing these Hutts began over a year ago, so you can imagine how my ears perked up when it was rumored that the Star Wars spin-off film would be “sharing assets” with The Force Awakens, despite being in different time periods. Last time I speculated this would mostly be ships and interiors, but how hard can it be to re-dress a Hutt? Reaching out to a source, I was told: “I’m sure their existence could have factored in to them being included, or the expenditure was made because it was all coordinated.” In other words: if JJ wanted expensive Hutts, it might have been okay since they could be used down the line.
The site previously reported that to save money on the productions Lucasfilm would be repurposing sets and props across different films. This makes a lot of sense and could allow the studio to turnout more in-camera shots, which according to Oscar Isaac during his interview on The Daily Show is "mostly practical with limited green screen work".
The Hutt Fleet
In the case of the Hutts, they are just as important and influential as the Empire itself along with the Mandalorians. Considering they basically run the criminal underworld which includes bounty hunters, smugglers, pirates and assassins in their employment. Controlling entire systems, planets and commanding fleets of their own attack ships. There inclusion wouldn't be a spoiler in the least, considering they have been heavily involved in the Clone Wars and will likely have a role to play in Rebels as well.
We're not just talking about Jabba, as there are many different Hutts operating all over the galaxy not just on Tatooine. It's possible that we could see Jabba's replacement in The Force Awakens, since it's said we could be returning to desert planet which might be homestead of Daisy Ridley's Rey.
A lot of leaked concept art points to the return to Tatooine include Rey's home which is made out of a destroyed AT-AT imperial walker.
This isn't the first time we've heard the Hutts mentioned for new Star Wars films.
AICN reported that Lucas had been talking-up story ideas Jabba during the meetings for the spin-offs. Then again, they were also citing a Yoda spin-off becoming the first of the standalone films which at this point isn't the case.
Oh - and I've also heard tale of a JABBA story that Lucas has floated to some of his buddies.
By the sounds of things Gareth Edwards' film could very well be a combo of a lot of these ideas which could include bounty hunters, Han Solo and Boba Fett. We know that all them have a history together which could be explored in the spin-offs.
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.
Aussie cinematographer Greig Fraser (Zero Dark Thirty, Let Me In, Snow White And The Huntsman, The Gambler, Killing Them Softly, Foxcatcher) confirms to HitFix that he'll be joining the crew of a Star Wars spin-off. The untitled film will be directed by Godzilla's Gareth Edwards. There are some rumblings this could be Boba Fett or Han Solo movie.
“I’m doing a [frick]ing Star Wars movie, which is like – I don’t know about you but Star Wars is like my first film love, do you know what I mean?… Gareth is doing a standalone film. Of course I do know some specifics, but it’s obviously something I’ve signed my kidneys away for.”
Recently Disney acquired the distribution rights to the Indiana Jones franchise from Paramount, after purchasing Lucasfilm back in 2012 (includes Star Wars and Indiana Jones rights). Which was seemingly was the first-step to developing more more films at Lucasfilm. A few believed it could lead to a reboot but a new rumor could put a wrench in that theory. MarketSaw has heard from their source (likely someone close to Lucasfilm) about what is going with Indy at the studio. They say that Harrison Ford is working out a deal to reprise the role for Indiana Jones 5 and Indiana Jones 6, which could have been apart of Ford's Episode VII contract.
"Regarding Harrison Ford, two more Indiana Jones features are in the negotiation stages as per Ford's contract clause on Star Wars, which is the primary reason he didn't 'publicly' or 'privately' commit, or so I'm told."
AICN chimed in as well. Stating they have heard that Harrison Ford's contract to appear in Star Wars Episode VII, might have included two Indiana Jones films. This makes a lot of sense, since Ford isn't the biggest fan of Han Solo and originally wanted him killed off in Empire Strikes Back. Perhaps, the lure of two more Indy films was the reason he agreed to return. Ford has been talking about his desire to make Indiana Jones 5 for years now.
I don't know if it's been officially confirmed that Harrison Ford made the new Indiana Jones films part of his agreement to return as Han Solo, but I've heard it enough from a myriad of sources that I believe it's true. Plus, we all know that Dr. Jones is close to Ford's heart.
I liked the idea of an Indy reboot, since it would allow a new director, writer and actor to give us more installments. George Lucas staying away post-Crystal Skull might be a good thing as well, as he's pretty much retired from these movies. I'm not sure how compelling a 70 year old Indiana Jones would be, unless he's taking more of a Professor Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery) role. Disney's Alan Horn said"we haven't done anything...we don't have a story..we need a story". A screenwriter hasn't been announced or even rumored, so at this point it could be years until this even starts production.
While there have been rumors linking young actor Miles Teller (Spectacular Now) as Mr. Fantastic in Fox's Fantastic Four reboot. Teller has seemingly teased being in the mix for another large franchise. While speaking to MTV (via DailySuperhero) the actor revealed he auditioned for the new Star Wars film. However, stating that he wants to play Han Solo but given that a prequel film is in the works anything is possible. I have to assume that he also tested for the role of Jacen Solo the twin brother of Jania Solo (expected to be main character alongside Ben Skywalker) who eventually turns to the darkside, becoming Darth Caedus. Caedus could eventually become the villain of the new trilogy if films are taking cues from the novels.
"I was putting the rumor out there for Han Solo. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I had an audition. It went pretty well, but I don’t think that’s going to happen."
Showbiz411 is adding to the recent news that Harrison Ford will be returning as Han Solo. They also mention that Mark Hamill (Luke) and Carrie Fisher (Leia) will back as well. Not surprising but will likely help support the site's next update. Reaffirming rumblings that the new trilogy would focus on the Skywalker kids. Sounds like that female Skywalker is becoming a reality.
"I was told some time ago that Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill would be reprising their roles in Episode VII. Obviously this new movie won’t pick up where “Return of the Jedi” ended. It’s some time in the future. Han, Princess Leia (with a presumably better hairstyle), and Luke Skywalker will be a lot older. Their children will be the new main characters. RsD2 and C-3PO will be unchanged, I would guess. since they are not human. But suffice to say, the three main actors are definitely coming back. The bigger question is, which young actors will play their kids?"
Having the kids involved means that they'll be taking cues from the books at least for the characters that will be included. Mara Jade will likely be involved in the new films. It's also possible over the entire new trilogy we could end up seeing Solo twins Jaina and Jacen as the new heroes. Seeing both Luke and Jacen going to the dark side within the three films. Jacen becoming Darth Caedus and taking on Tahiri Veila as his Sith apprentice. Ben Skywalker and Anakin Solo could also factor into the films.
LatinoReview just dropped a Star Wars casting scoop concerning a returning cast member for Episode VII. They say that the deal is done and Harrison Ford will be back as Han Solo. What that role will look like in the new trilogy is unknown. It's possible it could be a big role or just as simple as a cameo (think old Spock in the Star Trek reboot). It sounds likely that Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher could also be confirmed for the film as well in the coming months.
His inclusion could be Abrams/Lucas bringing the original players back to appease the fans. However, there have been rumblings that a new female Skywalker (Chloe Moretz was pitched by Matthew Vaughn) would be the main protagonist of Episodes VII, VIII and IX. It's very likely that Leia and Han's daughter Jaina Skywalker Solo is this new jedi heroine.
