Lupita Nyong’o worked wonders with the character when she made her franchise debut in The Force Awakens, but it seems there’s a chance that anyone who wanted to see more of her in Episode 9 may be disappointed.
Asked by The Hollywood Reporter if she’s signed up for the as-yet-untitled conclusion to the new trilogy, she said: “I don’t know yet. I’ll know soon.”
According to reports, Episode 9 will go into production this summer – meaning actors’ diaries will need to be sorted sooner rather than later.
Certainly it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Maz didn’t have a central role in the next movie – but to miss her out altogether would surely not sit well with a fanbase already reeling from the deaths of some key players in The Last Jedi.
That’s not even accounting for the loss of General Leia, with Carrie Fisher’s sad death meaning that she won’t appear on-screen anymore either.
JJ Abrams is in charge of Episode 9, having won great success with The Force Awakens – and he’s replacing Colin Trevorrow, who was given the boot last year.
The movie isn’t due until late 2019, but until then there’s the small matter of the latest anthology story – Solo: A Star Wars Story – coming this May.
Concern has been brewing, however, over the complete absence of a trailer – with the release date creeping ever-closer, why haven’t we had so much as a single piece of footage yet?
One current theory is that a TV spot could debut during the Super Bowl this weekend, although it’s noted that Disney has booked only two slots – with one going to Black Panther.
Another is that it will debut in cinemas alongside Black Panther in a few weeks’ time.
Episode 9, meanwhile, will release on December 20, 2019.