Levity presumably reigns in the Whitaker household today as Variety reports that Forest Whitaker is in talks for a role in the upcoming Gareth Edwards-directed Star Wars Anthology spin-off movie, Star Wars: Rogue One. A role in a Star Wars film is an exciting prospect for any actor, for several reasons: One, if your career completely goes to shit (which, to be fair, isn’t likely to happen for an Oscar winner like Whitaker, but still), you can always travel the convention circuit. Two, you get to have a silly name, like Poe Dameron or Andy Serkis. Three, you get your own action figure—something Whitaker has already done, but that was for Battlefield Earth, so it doesn’t really count. Four, we imagine it pays pretty well.
If Whitaker gets the part, he will star alongside previously announced cast members Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, and Nightcrawler’s Riz Ahmed. According to Variety, Jones, Ahmed, and Luna are all set to play Rebel fighters, and Mendelsohn’s role has been described as a villain. Details on Whitaker’s role have yet to be released, but the film will reportedly take place between Revenge Of The Sith and A New Hope, so feel free to speculate from there.
Star Wars: Rogue One will begin filming later this year for a December 16, 2016 release.