Rumor: Angela Bassett Met With Lucasfilm for a ‘Star Wars’ Role
Over the past couple of days, rumors have surfaced online concerning a possible meeting between Oscar-nominated actress Angela Bassett and Lucasfilm. This is coming from a paywalled Patreon post by known insider Daniel Richtman, who says the two parties met to discuss a potential Star Wars role. No additional details were provided, so it’s unknown if this is for a movie or a TV show.
Though Richtman’s track record outside of Star Wars has been pretty solid recently, we’re taking this as a rumor for now. But let us assume it is true, and try to figure out which project she might be eyed for.
At this stage, it would make sense for Lucasfilm to start kicking the tires on Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s upcoming film, as the script is advancing well and it should be at a point where they might be comfortable meeting with actors for some of the big roles. Since we know Daisy Ridley’s Rey will be the anchor of the story (though not necessarily the main protagonist), we might have expected some of the younger members of the cast, perhaps her apprentices in the New Jedi Order, to come first. But it also makes sense to start building the cast from the top-billing actors down, and that could imply a supporting part by Angela Bassett.
Another project about to enter pre-production is The Mandalorian & Grogu, but that feels like a project that will mostly involve characters from the Disney Plus three-season series rather than a substantial new part for which they might feel inclined to write a big check. Also, a (long shot) possibility is Taika Waititi’s project — though the Jojo Rabbit filmmaker is knee-deep into Klara and the Sun prep at the moment, perhaps Lucasfilm wants to attach someone to it to prevent it from dying down. (It’s also unclear when this meeting happened, it could have taken place late last year.)
Here is another interesting possibility: The Acolyte season 2. We know that Leslye Headland’s new series is coming out on Disney Plus later this year, but while in post-production, her writers’ room could have moved forward with season 2 scripting so that they are able to start filming later in 2024.
And last but not least, she might be the star of a whole new series. Right now, post-Andor season 2, the schedule is pretty open for Star Wars on Disney Plus. We know Ahsoka season 2 is coming, but with Dave Filoni as busy as he is, we might not get it until 2026. Though the show has since been delayed a number of months, this could be similar to the time Jude Law signed on to do Skeleton Crew in early 2022, only for the show to start filming just a few weeks after it was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration. Kathleen Kennedy could use this announcement at D23, after all.
Stay tuned as the situation continues to develop.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as movies from Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
