Although the character’s fate was a left a little uncertain at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Gwendoline Christie has confirmed that she is set to return as the First Order’s Captain Phasma in next year’s Star Wars: Episode VIII.
“I will be in the next Star Wars movie. I think that’s an exclusive, actually,” Christie told People at the Screen Actors Guild Awards this past Saturday, before sharing a few words about her initial casting in The Force Awakens. “I was very overexcited. 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. I thought the costume was incredibly striking. I felt it encouraged diversity and it was doing something new and it was an interesting bit of casting for women, and I hope that in something that was such a mainstream success it would breed more of those kind of opportunities for other women.”
SEE ALSO: Star Wars: Episode VIII script out to the cast
Star Wars: Episode VIII is being directed by Rian Johnson (Looper) and has recently been pushed back from its original May 2017 release date to December 15th 2017. Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Domnhall Gleeson (General Hux), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Katana), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Anthony Daniels (C3-PO) are all expected to return and will be joined by saga newcomer Benicio Del Toro (Guardians of the Galaxy) in an unknown role.
SEE ALSO: Pre-order Star Wars: The Force Awakens via Amazon UK or Amazon US
Originally published February 1, 2016. Updated January 18, 2020.
