The first Star Wars stand-alone film gets its star: Felicity Jones

Oscar nominated actress Felicity Jones has been tapped to star in the first stand-alone Star Wars film, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Jones has been nominated for the Academy Award for her work in the current film A Theory of Everything. Not much is known about the stand-alone Star Wars movie, although Chris Weitz (About a Boy, Antz) has been hired to take over writing duties for Gary Whitta.

This has been a pretty great year for women in the lead roles of genre films, as an all-woman cast has been announced for the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot, as well as the announcement of a Captain Marvel film featuring the Carol Danvers incarnation of the character and an upcoming Wonder Woman film.