Tatiana Maslany has shot to stardom very quickly with her role on Orphan Black, and she’s gained some loyal fans in the process. So when rumors began to circulate that she was in talks to take the lead in a stand-alone Star Wars film in 2016, everyone on the web went nuts trying to get confirmation that she was at least involved.
Unfortunately for Maslany’s fans, it looks like the role will be going to Felicity Jones instead. While nothing has been confirmed, several sites are reporting the news, including Screen Rant and The Mary Sue. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jones made a big impression on Disney execs even among such talented actresses as Tatiana Maslany and Rooney Mara, who also reportedly auditioned. Jones previously earned attention for her Oscar-nominated performance in The Theory Of Everything and can currently be seen in True Story, starring James Franco and Jonah Hill.
The film has a tentative release date of December 16, 2016 and will be directed by Gareth Edwards. As for the male lead in the film, several names are being bandied about, including Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad.
Rumors about Tatiana Maslany joining the Star Wars film began around the time she had to leave an off-Broadway play called The Way We Get By due to “scheduling conflicts”; Amanda Seyfried took over her role.
Maslany earned some attention at this year’s SAG Awards, where she declined to show off her hands on the “mani-cam” because she didn’t have time to get a manicure before the show. The actress, who is from Canada, says the awards show circuit is a strange scene for someone so new to Hollywood.
“It’s crazy to be here. I’m so new to this whole thing, so it’s always very shocking. It’s just a whole other world entirely. We don’t really have the whole star system thing in Canada. We’re a bit more low-key about it. It’s pretty surreal!” Tatiana Maslany said.