Sam Claflin is being considered for a starring role in the highly anticipated film Star Wars: Rogue One.
According to The Wrap, the 28-year-old actor may take on a big role in the spin-off which is reportedly set "in an era where there are no Jedi."
Also up for a part is 32-year-old Riz Ahmed, who is best known for Nightcrawler.
Felicity Jones has the starring role of a rebel soldier in the Gareth Edwards-directed movie, which will take place before Episode IV.
Edwards took to the stage to reveal a few details about Rogue One, the first of the standalone Star Wars films, at the Stars Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California.
"The absence of the Jedi is omnipresent - it hangs over the whole movie - and it comes down to a group of individuals that don't have magical powers but have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy."
Jones, who recently garnered an Oscar nomination for her role in The Theory of Everything, is the only confirmed cast member for the film, which will shoot in London for a December 2016 release.
Actress Felicity Jones. Photo / AP
Edwards said that her character will not just be a stoic soldier, but a complex, fully rounded human.
"We wanted to see fear, warmth, all of those aspects that everybody has," he said, excited that Jones embodies "the complete package."
The iconic franchise's Twitter account posted a capsule of the storyline, saying: "A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans in Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One #RogueOne."
"For more than 1,000 generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire," the voiceover reads, as the camera tracks to show a ghostly Death Star hovering in the clouds.
Set between the third and the fourth movies in the Star Wars saga, the film will follow a band of resistance fighters who unite to steal the Death Star plans and "bring a new hope," referring to the subtitle of the original Star Wars.
Gareth Edwards who directed Godzilla debuted a tantalizing concept reel to preview the mysterious film, which is part of a series of films exploring other stories outside of the core Star Wars saga.
Aside from the storyline, he also unveiled art and a brief sizzle reel for an audience of excited fans at the fourth and final day of the event at the Anaheim Convention Centre..
Edwards was joined onstage by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and head of development Kiri Hart who explained: "We really wanted freedom to do some films that could stand on their own, and tell new stories."
She added that they are describing them as "anthology films" that expand the Star Wars universe without necessarily using the main characters.
According to Gareth, Rogue One is set after Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith and before the original Star Wars, which became Episode IV when George Lucas created the three prequels.
Edwards said Rogue One won't have clear-cut villains and heroes, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
And the crowd laughed when he joked about the content, saying: "It's called Star WARS," putting heavy emphasis on the last word.
"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," he added.
In the world of Rogue One, Edwards said the "absence of Jedi is omnipresent."
The characters in the film realize that the "gods are not coming to save us," he said. "It comes down to a group of people who don't have magical powers who band together to bring hope to the galaxy."
Cinderella scribe Chis Weitz wrote the screenplay based on an idea from visual effects supervisor John Knoll.
Josh Trank, who is set to direct the next, still untitled Star Wars anthology film, did not attend the event although he was originally scheduled to appear.
The idea for the film came from award-winning visual effects artist John Knoll, who pitched the idea internally before bringing it to Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm's Kiri Hart.
Hart, vice president of development for Lucasfilm, said that the anthology films will vary in "scale and genre."
She added that they are describing them as "anthology films" that expand the Star Wars universe without necessarily using the main characters.
"We wanted freedom to do some films that would be able to stand on their own and tell unique stories," she said.
"They can still feel like Star Wars and be Star Wars."
Meanwhile, it was revealed that the trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, which debuted at the event, was viewed 88 million times worldwide in the first 24 hours.
Directed by JJ Abrams, the movie opens in New Zealand on December 17.
