The Han Solo Star Wars Story is currently filming, but casting is still underway. A new performance capture character was just revealed — and now everyone’s favourite Westworld host, Thandie Newton, may be joining in a mystery role.
Variety reports that Newton is in talks to join the 2018 film, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Though Newton has been acting for years, she had her biggest breakout yet in 2016 with a leading role on Westworld. On the HBO show (produced by Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams), Newton plays Maeve, a mysterious host who runs a brothel but becomes self-aware and tries to escape.
Odds are Newton is playing a new character in the film, though months ago rumours swirled that the directors were casting a black female as a love interest. Many people speculated that role would be Sana Starros, a smuggler introduced in the comics who claimed to be Han’s wife. Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones reportedly got that part — but maybe Clarke is actually an as-yet-unknown character, and Newton will play the rumoured role instead. We just don’t know.
What we do know is Newton is joining Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson and Clarke in the cast and the movie comes out some time in 2018.
Though filming just began, expect some morsels of news in April during Star Wars Celebration in Orlando.
[Variety]