'Star Wars: Episode VII' Targets Unknown Actress Maisie Richardson-Sellers

With filming already underway on Star Wars: Episode VII, and a return to Tatooine in the works, information is starting to seep out about what J.J. Abrams is planning. But rumors are mostly all we've got in terms of casting, and now another one has surfaced that unknown actress Maisie Richardson-Sellers is the frontrunner for a key role in the film, a role that has been speculated on before.

THR has the report, saying Richardson-Sellers is in line for what may be a major role, possible that of a "young black or mixed race" descendant of Obi Wan Kenobi. It's the same part some had thought Lupita Nyong'o could be up for, but it's unclear if that means the Oscar-winning actress is out of the running. The story, penned by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, takes place thirty years after Return of the Jedi, and will focus on  new trio of young characters. Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill are all expected to return in familiar roles, just as Peter Mayhew has been confirmed to return as Chewbacca.

Richardson-Sellers is an Oxford University student with only some stage work and a short film to her credit, but suddenly she's splashed on the front page of every movie news site. Even if she doesn't get the role, the exposure alone is going to catapult her career.

Star Wars: Episode VII opens December 18th 2015.