Star Wars: Episode VIII – Who Will Be The New Female Lead?

The rumors are heating up.

Late last month, we got rumors that there would be a new female lead character in the follow up to The Force Awakens. We already have confirmation from Benicio Del Toro that he’s in heavy negotiations for a villain role… which means the wheels are starting to turn on pre-production for the film.

Well, now we have more casting news thanks to The Wrap, which claims to have a short list of actresses up for role of this new lead. Since Benicio Del Toro is taking the role of a villain, we think it’s pretty safe to assume that one of these ladies will be playing a protagonist to stand alongside Finn, Poe, and Rey.

Who are the actresses?

Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), and Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel) all seem to be up for the role.

Tell me more about Gina Rodriguez.

A Puerto Rican actress from Chicago, she got her big break in the CW dramady series Jane the Virgin, which earned her a Golden Globe Award. She’s also currently starring in the in production Deepwater Horizon, staring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Pete Berg.

Tell me more about Tatiana Maslany.

A Canadian actress with an extensive history of television work, she’s recently gotten much acclaim for convincingly portraying multiple clones in the BBC show Orphan Black. She was also a finalist for the lead of Star Wars: Rogue One, which ended up going to Felicity Jones.

Tell me more about Olivia Cooke.

By far the youngest of the three at 21, Cooke has gained a great deal of recognition for her role of Emma Decody in Bates Motel and her turn in the Sundance darling Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

How will Lucasfilm determine which actress to go with?

Like any role, it’ll come down to screen tests. According to the report, all three will do a chemistry read with John Boyega, which will most likely ultimately be the deciding factor.

Who do you think will get the role?

They’re all fantastic actresses, though in our heart of hearts we’re hoping Maslany will get another shot to be in the Star Wars universe. She’s shown incredible range on Orphan Black.

Who will they be playing?

Rumors persist that the role is for Han Solo’s daughter, which it could well be. However, it could be something else entirely. We’re wondering though about the sheer numbers of the cast. The Force Awakens already has Luke, Han, Leia, Finn, Poe, and Rey. We know the our original heroes (with the exception of Han) will be taking a back seat in the film… but that’s a lot of characters to spread screentime around. Adding another will stretch it even thinner.

Do you think someone will be killed?

It’s very possible. Obviously, people are wondering what a new female lead means for Rey’s involvement in the film… but there’s no reason we can’t have two female heroes. If anything, having a roguish (we’re guessing on her personality here) character means we may have to bump off a similar kind of person… which means it isn’t looking good for Han.