It looks like Daenerys Targaryen is going to a galaxy far, far away after she stops by Westeros. Lucasfilm has announced that "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke is going to join the cast of the "Han Solo" spin-off movie.
Lucasfilm has yet to reveal any details regarding her role, but she will be one of the "dynamic cast of characters that Han and Chewie will encounter on their adventures." Sources believe she is going to be playing the female lead.
Clarke wasn't handed the role. She had to fight for it. Variety says Clarke auditioned and managed to beat Tessa Thompson, Naomi Scott, Zoe Kravitz, Kiersey Clemons, Adria Arjona, and fellow "Game of Thrones" star Jessica Henwick to nab the role. Past reports indicated that the studio was looking for a non-white actress for the role, but it looks like Clarke managed to change their minds with her audition. Well, she definitely has the star power play the female lead.
Now Clarke will have plenty to do in the downtime between "Game of Thrones" seasons. The "Han Solo" spin-off movie will not be the first high-profile movie she stars in. Clarke has played Sarah Connor in "Terminator Genisys," and she also starred in "Me Before You."
Clarke will star opposite Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover. Ehrenreich is going to be portraying the young smuggler Han Solo, while Glover is playing Lando Calrissian. The spin-off film is set before "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." Phil Lord and Christopher Miller will be directing the film and production is expected to start in January 2017.
Variety has reported that most major cast members of "Game of Thrones" will finish shooting by the end of the year, so Clarke probably won't have to juggle her commitments.
The stand-alone "Han Solo" movie is scheduled to premiere on May 25, 2018.
