Is Keri Russell coming to a galaxy far, far away? And could she be playing, perhaps, Rey’s long-lost mother?
Variety was the first to report that Russell is in talk to join Star Wars: Episode IX, which J.J Abrams is writing and directing. The report indicates the role would be action heavy.
Russell just finished her run in The Americans, and is perhaps better known for playing the title role of Felicity in the cult TV series, created by Abrams.
Neither the star nor Disney has yet to comment anything on the reports.
Very little is known about the actual plot of Episode IX, though it’s fair to say that the movie is even more important considering that the last Star Wars stand-alone, Solo: A Star Wars Story, vastly under-performed at the box office, which has reportedly put all plans for future stand-alone movies on hold. The Last Jedi, meanwhile, was a box-office success, but it’s been plagued by controversy online and it seems to have attracted a subset of fans that have lashed out against, well, anyone diverse – a fact that has already driven Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran off social media.
Which just means there’s even more riding on Episode IX than there would usually be, and that’s a tall order for a movie that was, either way, supposed to wrap up one of the most beloved movie franchises in the world.
Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled to be released on Dec. 20, 2019.