'Star Wars: Episode VIII' Cast News: Gwendoline Christie Will Be In The Next 'Star Wars' Movie

By Jackie Villegas, Christian Post Contributor Friday, February 05, 2016

Gwendoline Christie, who played the role of Captain Phasma in the 2015 blockbuster hit "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," is set to reprise the role in the next film in the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, "Star Wars: Episode VIII."

"I will be in the next 'Star Wars' movie," Christie told PEOPLE at the red carpet pre-show for the 2016 Screen Actors Guild Awards. "I think that's an exclusive, actually," she said.

Christie, who is best known for her role as Brienne of Tarth in HBO's popular fantasy drama series "Game of Thrones" and for playing Commander Lyme in the final "The Hunger Games" film, said that she was "very overexcited" about the casting and admitted that she campaigned for a long time to get the part. "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," she revealed.

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The actress also gushed about the "incredibly striking" stormtrooper costume she got to wear in "The Force Awakens" and said that she felt that being cast as the first female stormtrooper "encouraged diversity." Christie also expressed hope that as "The Force Awakens" became such a huge success, it would open more opportunities for women in roles that, traditionally, would have been given to men.

Earlier this year, the actress also talked about how much she appreciated the look of her stormtrooper armor, saying, "It hadn't been sexualized or feminized in any way." She added: "I thought, 'That is interesting. That's very modern.'"

Meanwhile, according to Variety, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which has already earned more than $1.9 billion globally, could very well hit the $2 billion mark by the end of the week. The only films to have passed the $2 billion mark so far are "Avatar" (2009), which made $2.78 billion, and "Titanic" (1997), which made $2.19 billion.

"Star Wars: Episode VIII" is set to hit theaters on Dec. 15, 2017.