Over the past fortnight or so there has been a flurry of speculation regarding the leading female role in Gareth Edwards’ Star Wars spinoff movie. Testing for the standalone feature is already well underway, and it’s understood that the likes of Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, Felicity Jones and Orphan Black‘s Tatiana Maslany are all vying for content, but a new report by Total Geek has suggested that its the latter actress who has bagged the coveted role.
It’s worth keeping in mind that, at the time of writing, this casting tidbit remains unconfirmed by Disney. However, Entertainment Weekly brings word that Ted 2‘s Amanda Seyfried has been drafted in to replace Maslany on Neil LaBute’s latest Off-Broadway play, The Way We Get By. Is this because the Canadian actress has been lured to a galaxy far, far away?
Alas, this is merely conjecture, but it isn’t exactly outside the realm of possibility. Currently, LaBute’s production is slated to arrive in the latter stages of April, and when you consider that Edwards and Co. will need to get production underway in the coming months if they are to meet the 2016 release date, it isn’t hard to connect the dots.
With a full seventeen months until its release, we still don’t know an awful lot about Edwards’ standalone feature. Early reports have indicated that the spinoff could be set up as a heist movie, following a group of mercenaries-for-hire bounty hunters who are recruited by the Rebel Alliance to snatch blueprints of the first Death Star from under the Empire’s nose. It’s a promising concept, and one that bears semblance to DC’s villain-centric approach with the Suicide Squad.
Gareth Edwards’ upcoming Star Wars spinoff will debut in theaters on December 16, 2016. For now, you can share your thoughts on Tatiana Maslany’s potential casting in the comments below.