'Star Wars: Rogue One' just added another stellar actor in its cast.
Just a few weeks after Mexican actor/director Diego Luna signed on to Lucasfilm's standalone movie, Variety announced that multiple award winner Forest Whitaker is in negotiations to star in the film.
If a deal is made, Whitaker will join Luna, Riz Ahmed, Felicity Jones and Ben Mendelsohn in the Star Wars spinoff film set somewhere between Episodes III and IV. The 'Last King of Scotland' star's role has not been confirmed yet.
Likewise, Lucasfilm and Disney had no comment about the news.
The details about the film have been kept secret by the studio. Director Gareth Edwards has spoken about the plot during the Anaheim Star Wars Celebration, stating that it will be a war movie.
"It's called Star WARS," Edwards said. "It's about the fact that god's not coming to save us, and we're on our own. The absence of the Jedi is omnipresent in the film. It hangs over the whole movie."
The director's statement confirmed that the Jedi will not play a major role in the film, and that the Rebel Alliance fighters are on their own in this war.
Forest Whitaker has joined the cast of #StarWars ‘Rogue One’: https://t.co/ZJSMUAS3e0 pic.twitter.com/26NGib0jEh
— ScreenCrush (@screencrushnews) June 16, 2015
One of Whitaker's first film roles was in the Cameron Crowe comedy 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High.' His first accolade was the Best Actor Award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival for his performance in the Clint Eastwood film 'Bird.'
He later won the BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award for playing Idi Amin in 'The Last King of Scotland.'
Whitaker is currently working on three other films. He will star alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in 'Southpaw' and will appear in the Denis Villeneuve film 'Story of Your Life.' The actor will also be featured in the film adaptation of William P. Young's novel 'The Shack.'
'Star Wars: Rogue One' will be released on December 16, 2016.
