While we're eagerly counting down the days to the December release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, work has begun on the casting for the Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) directed stand alone spin-off, which recently saw Chris Weitz (About A Boy, The Golden Compass) replace Gary Whitta (Book of Eli, After earth) as screen writer, to the mega popular franchise. Several ultra secret auditions and test readings have taken place over the last few weeks for the female lead in the mysterious project, and from a group of actresses that include Rooney Mara and t.v. show Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany, The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Felicity Jones, fresh off her Oscar nominated turn in The Theory of Everything, is in talks to take the lead. A imprentrable shroud of secrecy surrounds the project, and while we don't know who it will be focusing on, sources claim that the focus is now on finding a male lead, with Aaron Paul and Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty, Wrath of the Titans) being eyed for the role, now that the female lead is apparently in the bag.
Whatever the spin-off ends up being called, it is set for release December 16th 2016.
