Lucasfilm already has itsHan Solofor the upcomingStar Warsanthology film, now it’s time for them to find a leading lady. As casting continues for the untitled film directed by22 Jump StreethelmersPhil LordandChris Miller, reports have emerged namingTessa Thompson,Naomi Scott, andZoe Kravitzamong the running to co-star withAlden Ehrenreich.
Varietywas the first to report the news that this trio tested for the female lead in London this week, and what’s nice is that this is a pretty diverse batch.
Thompson broke through with her performances inDear White PeopleandCreed, but she already has a good relationship with Lucasfilm’s parent company Disney, as she stars as Valkyrie in Marvel’sThor: Ragnarok. Scott is morphing into the sci-fi blockbuster genre with her role of the Pink Ranger, Kimberly, in thePower Rangersmovie reboot. Kravitz, meanwhile, continued her rise sinceX-Men: First Classwith theDivergentseries andMad Max: Fury Road. She’ll be seen next in theHarry PotterprequelFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
It’s unclear which character they tested for, but Variety notes they were a part of a second round of testing after one earlier this summer. Separate reports linkedDonald Glover, who’s also part of the Marvel universe withSpider-Man: Homecoming, to testing rounds for a young Lando Calrissian.
Gender and racial diversity have been major points of inclusion forStar Wars, and Lucasfilm PresidentKathleen Kennedyhad also said she hopes to have a woman in the director’s chair for future films.Star Wars: The Force Awakensintroduced a new generation to Rey (Daisy Ridley), a Luke Skywalker-esque character, while this December will see Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) leading a swat team of Rebel forces on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star.
Though we know nothing about this new mysterious character for the Han Solo prequel, we know she’ll be a formidable force. She’ll have to be if she’s going toe-to-toe with the wise-cracking smuggler. An announcement could be coming in a couple weeks.
