Keri Russell in Talks for Star Wars: Episode IX

Posted by on July 9th, 2018   Filed under: Action, Fantasy, Rumours, Sci-fi
Source: Variety

kerirussell

After the mixed reviews and disappointing performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Disney and Lucasfilm are now said to be refocusing all of their efforts on the follow-up to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. J.J. Abrams is returning to direct the film and in the eyes of some fans, he is once again being tasked with “righting the ship” so to speak. Now that the first potential casting news for Episode IX has surfaced, however, it hasn’t taken long for fan speculation to run wild, placing insane expectations on the currently unknown role. Hit the jump to find out what we know.

According to Variety, Keri Russell is in early talks to join Star Wars: Episode IX in an unspecified role that supposedly “calls for action-heavy fight scenes.” Russell recently wrapped up the final season of The Americans, a show for which she received a couple of Emmy nominations. She previously worked with J.J. Abrams on Mission: Impossible III but also starred in the Abrams-produced TV series Felicity in the late ’90s / early 2000s.

This casting news will likely annoy a certain subsection of fans who are already feeling threatened by the number of strong women being introduced to the Star Wars universe. On the other hand, another group of fans are insisting that a new strong female character must be Rey’s mother (despite the fact that it was revealed in the last film that her parents are nobodies). While it will probably be a while before we find out the truth, Disney and Lucasfilm are expected to cast two more roles by the time the film begins production at the end of the month. Are you excited to see Keri Russell in Star Wars: Episode IX?



  • 1138sw

    The Star Wars Franchise has been fraught with so much controversy that it has become just depressing universe to visit.

    Myself…I definitely have complaints about where the franchise is headed and I was not happy with the SW:TLJ for many reasons. And unlike the first previous 8 installments I absolutely have no idea how the Saga of Luke Skywalker is proceeding…it seems like a rudderless mess with more questions than there are any enjoyable answers.

    Plus the outright misogyny, fan threats and childish boorish on-line behavior, coupled with right wing conspiracy nuts has the made the whole franchise bogged down with unnecessary garbage and just plain depressing. Just take the reaction at the Solo movie, which I did not think was so bad and I actually did enjoy parts, which was so negative and backlashed that it crushed the movie.

    I always thought after the prequels that the franchise would right itself eventually and find a caretaker other than Lucas to refocus the direction of the universe and finish the Luke Skywalker saga which is really what the original SW universe is about. Instead we have KK who I really think might be over her head coupled with JJ, a filmmaker with no real vision who is a filmmaker rehashing the work of others from the past. The whole experience has been really disappointing to say the least.

    Take that with all the nut jobs trying to ruin not only the franchise and the people involved and one is left longing for that original inspiring “galaxy far far away”.

  • Deven Science

    Just because they’re “nobodies,” doesn’t mean they aren’t powerful, or force sensitive, or whatever. It could just mean that no one knows them.