Star Wars Episode VII Has At Least One More Major Female Role to Cast

Earlier today, Lucasfilm and Disney blew up the Internet with the announcement of the principal cast for Star Wars Episode VII. And not long after that, the Internet reassembled itself and carried on getting angry about things, which is more or less what it's built to do. The absence of beloved supporting character Lando Calrissian sparked a #WheresLando hashtag and a lot of perplexed or even angry responses on social media. A dearth of women in the room also frustrated some fans and critics, who had hoped that there would be more female leads in the upcoming trilogy than there were in the Original Trilogy or Prequel Trilogy, both of which were almost entirely cast with males in significant roles. Now, The Hollywood Reporter says that according to "several sources," director J.J. Abrams has another substantial role to fill — and it's a female part. No further details are known. Reports throughout the casting process were that the film was looking for a young, black female to play a role in the film -- reportedly as a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi (or someone in his family). Abrams reportedly met with Lupita Nyong'o just before the Oscars, with later rumors circling unknown British actress Maisie Richardson-Sellers. With Star Wars Day coming up on Sunday, the original theory was that the cast would be revealed then. It now turns out it will be a trailer for the new animated series Star Wars: Rebels that debuts that day. Whether an additional casting notice could be tacked on is anybody's guess, but to make it a major announcement would likely seem out of place considering how (relatively speaking) low key today's announcement was.