Gina Rodriguez (Deepwater Horizon), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) are all up for the female lead in Star Wars: Episode VIII according to The Wrap.
Reports say the trio will all read with John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) for director Rian Johnson (Looper). All three of the Star Wars: Episode VIII actresses are rising stars in their own right. Rodriguez recently won a Golden Globe award for her performance on the comedy series Jane the Virgin. Maslany has received numerous acclaim as well as a recent Emmy nomination for her performance on the science fiction show Orphan Black and Cooke is hot off her performance in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Along with Boyega, whoever is cast appears set to join Benicio Del Toro (Sicario) and Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) in the sequel.
Maslany was rumored to be up for the role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. That part eventually went to Oscar nominated actress Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything). Meanwhile, Cooke is also rumored to be up for the female lead in Ready Player One. Rodriguez will be in the upcoming true story film Deepwater Horizon about the doomed ship of the same name that exploded and created the devastating oil spill on the Florida Gulf.
Star Wars: Episode VIII is expected to release May 26, 2017.