Game of Thrones Actress — Gwendoline Christie — Confirms Return To Star Wars: Episode VIII
Although she did not have that many scenes in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Gwendoline Christie’s chromed-out stormtrooper — Captain Phasma — was definitely the topic of many an Episode VII discussion…
And, despite having a seemingly unceremonious and quiet end to her stint as a baddie in the Star Wars franchise, Gwendoline Christie will in fact be returning in the as yet titled, Star Wars: Episode VIII. Christie was interviewed at the Screen Actor Guild Awards by People, where she spilled the galactic-beans:
"“I will be in the next Star Wars movie.”"
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Gwendoline briefly discusses what went into her getting the role of Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens:
"“I was very over excited. I made no secret of the fact that I really campaigned for the part for a long time. And then I was delighted when J.J. Abrams wanted to have me in the film and then wanted to cast me in this role that had originally been designed for a man.”"
Here’s a couple of fun facts about Gwendoline Christie’s The Force Awakens character: The chromed armor look of Captain Phasma was originally slated for Kylo Ren. In his earliest concepts, the lead costume designer for the film (Michael Kaplan) had Kylo as Lord of the Stormtroopers, before J.J. Abrams scrapped that idea. It wasn’t until later when Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy saw the Phasma drawings that she fell in love with them, and decided to cast the role for female.
A further look into Phasma’s armor — from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary — tells us that the shiny chrome is actually called Chromium, and was salvaged from the now deceased Emperor Palpatine’s yacht from his homeworld of Naboo. I wonder if Phasma has a connection to the former Dark Lord of the Sith? I suppose we’ll have to wait until Episode VIII to find out.
Star Wars: Episode VIII has been pushed back to December 15, 2017 for its worldwide theatrical premiere, which means if Gwendoline survives Season 6, then she will once again be in the middle of filming a season for Game of Thrones, while running the press tours for another Star Wars film.