Gareth Edwards' upcoming Star Wars spin-off movie Rogue One already has one lead actor attached, with Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones announced as being officially on-board earlier this month - but now it sounds like we're on the brink of seeing her get a co-star. This is because new reports are surfacing saying that Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn is now being looked at for a starring role in the future sci-fi blockbuster.
This news comes to us from Deadline, though their piece is incredibly short on details. It's noted that Disney didn't comment on the report, and because we don't really know anything about Rogue One's plot, there aren't any details available about the role in the movie he may be playing. That being said, the part is being described as a "lead," which would explain why he's being pursued so early in the casting process.
Just because there's no word in the report regarding Ben Mendelsohn's potential role, however, doesn't mean that we can't do a bit of speculating. For example, if Rogue One is a reference to the famed Rogue Squadron, does that mean that the actor could be playing one of the elite pilots of the Rebel forces? We've also heard rumors that the movie is actually about a group of bounty hunters sent in to recover the plans from the first Death Star - and it's not ridiculous to think that Mendelsohn could be playing one of those. Or maybe he won't be going the hero route, and will be one of the new great antagonists of the Star Wars universe.
Obviously this news is rather big for Ben Mendelsohn, but what surely makes it even better is the fact that just this past weekend saw the debut of his new Netflix series Bloodline - which earned very positive reviews. In addition to his series work, however, the actor has also been a part of some notable big screen titles in the last few years, including Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings, and Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly. He has a number of upcoming projects, including the John Maclean-directed western Slow West with Michael Fassbender; the Ryan Reynolds-Sienna Miller-starring drama Mississippi Grind; and Ryan Gosling's artsy directorial debut Lost River.
Are you excited by the idea of Ben Mendelsohn potentially finding himself a role in the Star Wars universe? Should he wind up signing on, who would you like to see him play? Hit the comments with your thoughts.Star Wars: Rogue One will be going into production this summer, and is currently on track to be released on December 16, 2016 (two days shy from a full year after the theatrical debut of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens).
