"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is nearing its December release and Disney and LucasFilm are currently at work on the next installment, the yet-to-be titled "Star Wars Episode VIII." According to a report from The Wrap, the studios are currently narrowing down their choices for the female lead with the casting shortlisted down to three candidates.
The three actresses currently vying for the lead female role are Gina Rodriguez, Tatiana Maslany, and Olivia Cooke.
Rodriguez has already won a Golden Globe for her performance in "Jane the Virgin" and is set to appear in the Mark Wahlberg film "Deepwater Horizon."
Meanwhile, Cooke is widely recognized for her role in "Bates Motel" and was critically acclaimed for her portrayal of a young girl stricken with cancer in "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl."
Golden Globe-nominee Maslany is most famous for her performance in "Orphan Black" where she plays multiple characters. She was also one of the actresses who auditioned for the lead role in "Star Wars: Rogue One," a role which went to Felicity Jones.
The report says that either director Rian Johnson is still be in the auditioning phase and that these actresses will have to read for him, or that they have already been selected from a larger group and will do a chemistry-read with "The Force Awakens" star John Boyega.
According to the report, actor Benicio del Toro is also in talks to play the film's main villain. There are also rumors that the film will introduce Han Solo's (Harrison Ford) daughter, although other speculations indicate that Daisy Ridley's Rey is Solo's daughter who will be introduced in "The Force Awakens."
The eighth episode in the "Star Wars" saga is still in pre-production and no official plot has been released. Disney has also made no comment regarding the casting shortlist and what character the actresses are auditioning for.
"Star Wars Episode VIII" will be released in theaters on May 26, 2017.
