Here’s the announcement: “Star Wars: Episode VIII casting new lead and supporting roles”. Make your career move now!

Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm in association with Kasdan Pictures and Genre Films will begin shooting “Star Wars: Episode VIII” principal photography in Spring, 2016. The studio is now officially conducting a talent search for a lead role, female of any ethnicity who can play between 20 and 35 years of age. Additional roles are being cast, both male and female.

The Movie Network spices the report with these rumors about the top contenders —

…The latest step is an official casting call released online on Oct. 7, which backs up rumors of a search for not one, but two major new female characters. Over the last few weeks, actresses like Tatiana Maslany, Gina Rodriguez, Olivia Cooke and Gugu Mbatha-Raw have been alleged to be under consideration for Episode VIII. Most recently, rumors have spread that they are looking for two such actresses, and this casting call on MovieCastingCall.org seems to back that up. Disney is conducting a talent search for ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’, and auditions are being set up for the following roles: TWO FEMALES — Any Ethnicity, who can play between 20-35 years of age. Must be physically fit and be comfortable performing in a heavy green-screen CGI shooting environment. Confident, outgoing, and strong personality. Fearless attitude. These are for LEAD ROLES in the film. The initial rumors about two female characters were tied to allegations that Mbatha-Raw had already auditioned for one of them. Now in the wake of this casting call, Collider has alleged on Oct. 7 that Mbatha-Raw has just filled half of it. Tonight, we can exclusively report that Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Beyond the Lights) is joining the cast. While negotiations can always break down and nothing is official until Disney announces it, we feel confident in our reporting. Even if there is now only one of these roles left to fill, the other alleged candidates who have been named are already in demand elsewhere, since Cooke has already joined Steven Spielberg’s 2017 film Ready Player One, Maslany is now under consideration for the Boston Marathon drama Stronger with Jake Gyllenhaal while also shooting Orphan Black, and Rodriguez has the CW’s Jane the Virgin.

HAN SOLO CASTING CALL. Also online, Disney’s “’Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology Film’ casting call and talent search details” says the film “will focus on how young Han Solo became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley.”

Disney is conducting a talent search for “Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology Film” lead role of Han Solo, and new auditions are being set up. All actors between 16 years of age through 34 years of age are being considered.

[Thanks to Will R. for the story.]