Jessica Henwick To Appear In Star Wars VII

‘Star Wars VII’ may have already finished shooting, but that won’t stop the rapidly-expanding cast as Jessica Henwick has been outed as a ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ cast-member.

BBC journalist Lizo Mzimba revealed in a recent Tweet that the 22-year-old British actress will appear in the upcoming ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.

The young British actress is known for her roles in both ‘Spirit Warriors’ and the BBC drama ‘Silk’.

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The trouble is, filming has already finished on the highly-anticipated ‘Star Wars’ sequel and with no further details of the plot or characters, we have no idea who Jessica Henwick might be playing. Will she brandish a lightsaber or a blaster pistol? At this stage it’s unclear. But I can’t help thinking she’s been chosen for a more physical role.

Above: Jessica Henwick in BBC’s ‘Silk’

During her time on ‘Spirit Walkers’, Henwick learned the Chinese martial art, Wushu and trained alongside Hollywood stunt co-ordinators who specialise in martial arts. It’s entirely possible that this was a big reason for hiring her in the first place and that kind of training certainly lends itself to a more lightsaber-oriented role. Just look at Ray Park’s Darth Maul in the prequel trilogy.

But will Henwick play either a Jedi or a Sith?

At the moment, either is a possibility and with no details about her role, she could just as easily have landed a more traditional combat-oriented role. But I can’t help thinking we’ll see her swinging a lightsaber in ‘Star Wars VII’.

Which character she’ll play remains a mystery, but with just a year until the film hits cinemas across the UK, it won’t be long before we find out.

‘Star Wars; The Force Awakens’ is in cinemas from 18 December 2015.

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Picture Credit: Lucasfilm