Home Entertainment Tatiana Maslany, Rooney Mara and Kate Mara tested for STAR WARS standalone film

Tatiana Maslany, Rooney Mara and Kate Mara tested for STAR WARS standalone film

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Just to recap, here’s what we know for sure about Gareth “Godzilla” Edwards’ planned Star Wars standalone film: It’s a Star Wars standalone film, being directed by Gareth Evans. Okay, okay, that was just a bit of joking, we know some more: Gary Whitta was writing the script, now he’s not.

You could say that we’re completely in the Dark (Side of the Force) when it comes to this spinoff film that has been rumoured to be about everything from a Boba Fett origin story to a young Han Solo adventure to a prequel heist film about the gang of bounty hunters hired by the rebels to steal the plans to the original Death Star that Leia has at the start of Episode IV.

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But now we may just finally have our first few tiny clues, as THR is reporting that Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo lead Rooney Mara are both doing screen tests for a female lead role in the film. The report goes on to say that Felicity Jones – who just received an Oscar nomination for her incredible turn in The Theory of Everything – is also on Lucasfilm’s list to read for the part, but will probably not accept due to scheduling issues. Variety’s Justin Kroll also adds that House of Cards’ Kate Mara – actually the younger sister of Rooney Mara, and who will soon be seen as Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four reboot – has now also read for the role.

Just what that role is, is anybody’s guess at this point in time, but whatever it is, Tatiana Maslany can probably do it. The chameleon-like Orphan Black star has made a name for herself through the clone-drama playing (at last count) twelve totally different characters, sometimes on the screen at the same time. There’s just about nothing she can’t do, and after receiving reams of TV acting accolades, this would definitely be just the film to really push her to the big show.

That’s not to say that Mara sisters are slouches either, as both have shown an incredibly diverse range and are always good no matter what they’re starring in. I’m just such a huge fan of Ms Maslany and think that she deserves this big break, whereas the Mara’s have already made it all the way to the top, headlining major blockbusters.

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Reports have suggested though that these are not the only young ladies testing for the role, so for all we know they might not even be considered in the end (criminal, I know!). Until we know more about the actual role, we’re doing purely nothing but guessing as to her identity. Back when Star Wars: The Force Awakens was first announced – before it was even called that – there were lots of rumours swirling that we would be seeing a lot of focus on a young female character, whom many then assumed would  be Jaina Solo, the young Jedi knight/ace pilot daughter of Han and Leia found in the Star Wars novels, who would be played by Daisy Ridley. But then it was revealed that the Expanded Universe novels were all being dumped as non-canon, followed quickly by the revelation that Ridley’s character Rey doesn’t appear to have any connection to the Solos, leaving many people to wonder if Jaina actually exists in this new universe.

But what if Jaina does exist but we’re just not going to meet her in The Force Awakens as she’s off doing her own thing somewhere, all of which will be covered in this film? All the ladies testing for the role thus far are either in the late 20’s or early 30’s (and they could pass for late 20’s), which kind of matches up well with the timeline for The Force Awakens which we know occurs roughly 30 years after he events of Return of the Jedi (after which I assume Han and Leia got down to doing some nerf-herding of their own, if you know what I mean).

At this point it’s nothing more than just a pet theory of mine, but it could be cool if it turns out to be true. Jaina Solo was an immensely popular character in the EU books and Lucasfilm did say that even though it’s no longer canon, they would be poaching the best characters and story beats from the EU to adapt to their stories’ needs. Could this be the first one?

Last Updated: January 23, 2015

6 Comments

  1. MARA JADE MARA JADE MARA JADE

    Reply

    • Kervyn Cloete

      January 23, 2015 at 11:04

      They would all be a bit too young for Mara Jade though. She’s supposed to be Luke’s wife. Hamill is twice their age.

      Reply

      • Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event

        January 23, 2015 at 12:45

        Unless it plays off parallel or just after EP6 considering they wanna make a young Han Solo Movie.

        Reply

        • Kervyn Cloete

          January 23, 2015 at 16:52

          That’s certainly possible, but based on the few leaked pieces of info we have about the time between Ep6 and Ep7 – and specifically what Luke has been up to – it’s more than likely not probable.

          Reply

      • Guest

        January 23, 2015 at 19:06

        This spinoff film is apparently set before episode 4

        Reply

    • Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event

      January 23, 2015 at 12:44

      Can not upvote this enough!

      Reply

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