Fans all over the world are currently still clamoring to movie theaters to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, quickly making the film the highest grossing picture in North American history. While Disney is still counting all the money that they are getting from Episode VII, Lucasfilm is preparing for the next step in the franchise’s future. Director Rian Johnson is gearing up to start principal photography on the currently untitled Star Wars: Episode VIII, slated for release in May 2017.
Episode VIII already has Benecio del Toro on board and Lucasfilm is allegedly looking to add two more female characters. Gugu Mbatha-Raw was reported to secure one of those two female roles, but now it look like she’s out.The Wrap’s Jeff Sneider stated (while on the Meet The Move Press Podcast) that Mbatha-Raw will no longer appear in Episode VIII, and Bel Powley (star of Sundance hit Diary of a Teenage Girl) is in the running to replace her. What is your reaction to this news?
