Star Wars VIII Shortlist For Female Lead Includes Gina Rodriguez, Tatiana Maslany & Olivia Cooke

According to sources for The Wrap, Gina Rodriguez, Tatiana Maslany and Olivia Cooke are competing for the female lead in Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII.

The Wrap reports:
Insiders insist it's early in the casting process and that Johnson is still auditioning actresses, with several rising stars yet to read for him. Others suggest that Johnson is narrowing down the field and that Rodriguez, Maslany and Cooke will be among a group of girls slated to chemistry-read with "The Force Awakens" star John Boyega before the end of the month.

Gina Rodriguez, 31, won a Golden Globe for her work in The CW's Jane the Virgin. Tatiana Maslany, 29, was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work in the science fiction television series Orphan Black. She was previously in the mix for the female lead in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which eventually went to Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything). Olivia Cooke, 21, has been earning rave reviews for her performance in the heartwarming feature film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII will arrive in theaters May 26, 2017.