A new rumor indicates Star Wars is looking for a female person of color to play the main protagonist in an upcoming film based on BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) video game.
The rumor comes from We Got This Covered who report, “Lucasfilm is keen to have a woman of color in the lead for its KOTOR movies.” They add, “It’s apparently important for them that the pics feature a diverse cast with a female person of color in the role of protagonist.”
Not only do they report Lucasfilm is looking for a woman of color for their KOTOR films, but they also indicate they are looking for a female director. They note that Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and A Wrinkle in Time and New Gods director Ava DuVernay are up for the roles.
No plot details or rumors of plot details surrounding the film have surfaced.
This rumor is the latest in a string of rumors surrounding Star Wars making films based on KOTOR.
Back in May, BuzzFeed News reported that Alita: Battle Angel script writer Laeta Kalogridis had been hired to pen a script for KOTOR. Not only had she been hired, but they reported she was close to finishing the script. (Related: Report: Knights of The Old Republic Star Wars Movie in Development from Alita: Battle Angel Writer)
Kalogridis has quite a lot of film work under her belt as she not only penned Alita: Battle Angel, but also wrote Terminator Genisys, Shutter Island and Alexander. She is also the creator for Netflix’s Altered Carbon and is working on the Sword Art Online TV series.
Other rumors surrounding a KOTOR film indicate Darth Malak will be the main antagonist. (Related: Rumor: Star Wars Developing Films Featuring Darth Malak)
Who is Darth Malak?
Malak was originally a Jedi Knight who alongside Revan disobeyed the Jedi Council and aided the Galactic Republic in the war against Mandalore.
After falling to the Dark Side, the two would go on to found their own Sith Empire and launch an invasion of the Galactic Republic that would later be called the Jedi Civil War.
As Sith do, Malak betrayed Revan. During a Jedi attack, Malak had his flagship destroy Revan’s vessel. With Revan’s ship destroyed he believed Revan had died.
Malak would then become the Dark Lord of the Sith and take on the fallen Jedi Darth Bandon as his apprentice as he continued to conquer Republic territory unchallenged.
However, Revan survived and the two would eventually have a showdown on the Star Forge with Revan killing Malak and ending the Jedi Civil War.
Game of Thrones and Old Republic
Other rumors surrounding a KOTOR film involve Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The two showrunners were announced to work on a series of Star Wars films, which rumors point to will be set in the Old Republic timeline. (Related: Rumor: Game of Thrones Showrunners’ Star Wars Movie to Be Focused on Old Republic)
It’s unclear if these rumors are related or if they are completely separate projects. If they are separate projects, Disney and Lucasfilm could have multiple distinct film projects in the works from Laeta Kalogridis, the Game of Thrones creators, and Rian Johnson. (Related: Rian Johnson Provides Update on His Star Wars Status)
What do you make of this latest Star Wars rumor?