Keri Russell is in early talks to join the cast of “Star Wars: Episode IX,” which J.J. Abrams is writing and directing, an individual with knowledge of the project tells TheWrap.
Russell and Abrams last collaborated on 2006’s “Mission: Impossible III.” Russell’s role remains under wraps but calls for action-heavy fight scenes.
Abrams stepped into direct the final film in the new trilogy, which will follow “The Last Jedi” and is due out in 2019, after Colin Treverrow withdrew last September over creative differences with Lucasfilm. Treverrow had joined the project in 2015.
In a recent interview with the BBC, alongside composer Michael Giacchino, Abrams said, “Well, it’s certainly something that I’m aware of now working on ‘Episode IX’ — coming back into this world after having done ‘Episode VII.’ I feel like we need to approach this with the same excitement that we had when we were kids, loving what these movies were.”
Abrams added, “At the same time, we have to take them places that they haven’t gone, and that’s sort of our responsibility. It’s a strange thing – Michael’s worked on things like ‘Planet of the Apes’ and ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Wars,’ and these are the things of dreams. Yet we can’t just revel in that; we have to go elsewhere.”
Abrams directed and produced “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015.
Russell just wrapped the final season of “The Americans.” Russell is repped by WME.
Variety first reported the news.