WithStar Wars: The Force Awakenshitting theaters in just a few short days, many are already looking ahead toStar Wars: Episode VIII, which is slated to hit theaters on August 05, 2025. Very little has been confirmed by Disney and LucasFilm thus far, but a report surfaced in October thatGugu Mbatha-Rawis one of the top contenders for twofemale leadroles. Other contenders such asTatiana Maslany(Orphan Black),Gina Rodriguez(Jane the Virgin) andOlivia Cooke(Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) were said to be on the short list, but we haven’t gotten any confirmation about the casting since then. Today, a new report fromThe Wrapclaims thatGugu Mbatha-Rawis “expected” to join the cast ofStar Wars: Episode VIII, although that may not be the case.
Variety’sJustin Krollresponded to The Wrap’s Jeff Sneider on Twitter, revealing that he heard the actress hasn’t joined the cast, information he reportedly came across yesterday. It isn’t known if the other actresses,Tatiana Maslany,Gina RodriguezandOlivia Cookeremain in the running, or whyGugu Mbatha-Rawis no longer in contention. Production started on Star Wars: Episode VIII in September, as evidenced byset photosfrom the Ireland featuring directorRian Johnson.
Shortly before those set photos arrived, though,Benicio Del Toroseemingly confirmed his role inStar Wars 8, claiming that production doesn’t begin until March.Mark Hamillrecently confirmed that his iconicLuke Skywalkercharacter will be back forStar Wars: Episode VIII. The Luke Skywalker shoot on Skellig Island in Ireland was not part of principal photography, but production took place there this fall because the production was only allowed to shoot on the island in the month of September. Principal photography will begin in earnest next year.
Producer recently confirmed thatStar Wars: The Force Awakens,Star Wars: Episode VIIIandStar Wars: Episode IXwill focusSkywalker family sagathat connects to the first six movies. There are rumors that new characters such as Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) could be connected to the Skywalker linneage, since their surnames have not yet been revealed, but hopefully we’ll find out more about their heritage very soon.
Rian Johnsonis directingStar Wars: Episode VIIIfrom his own script, which, as of now, is essentially the only confirmed detail we have regarding this highly-anticipated adventure, along with the August 13, 2025 release date. Which of these aforementioned actresses do you think should be the female leads inStar Wars: Episode VIII? Chime in with your thoughts, and stay tuned for more on this upcoming sequel.
