Damon Lindelof’s new upcoming Star Wars film news broke back in October 2022, and while little is known about the project, the film setting and timeline is said to take place after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The film was also rumored to be eyeing on a person of color for its protagonist, and now, a new report is stating that Aquaman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played the villain Black Manta, is rumored to be the frontrunner as the Star Wars film lead.
Reputable scooper Jeff Sneider claimed that Lindelof has his eyes set on Abdul-Mateen. Sneider points out how Abdul-Mateen was the most recent person of color Lindelof worked with (on Watchmen), which potentially sets the Black Manta actor as the frontrunner to take the lead in the Star Wars project:
“We talked about how the leads are black, right?” Sneider said on the Hot Mic Podcast, “It’s a black man and a black woman. I was told — and I think I’ve said this before, so make sure to note this when you’re doing it, I’ve already said this — the black actor came attached to the movie. Who does Damon Lindelof have a relationship with? You know, who did he just work with on [the] last thing that got him this job? You wanna say [Abdul-Mateen’s name] so I don’t have to?”
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Hollywood — or any form of industry for that matter — is built on forming connections and networks, and casting previous actors you’ve worked with is nothing new in the filmmaking business. In this case, Sneider’s speculation makes sense.
“I mean, did [Abdul-Mateen] fit the description that I was given about an actor that’s gone back and forth between film and television, and yet has never been a lead of his own film?” Sneider added, “I guess you could say that. Are we looking at Yahya in Star Wars? I think it’s a possibility.”
It is important to take this news with a grain of salt, seeing as Lucasfilm has yet to make any official casting announcements on Lindelof’s new Star Wars movie. Although you could say this rumor is not that far-fetched, given that Abdul-Mateen already starred in a comic book franchise, so, starring in a Star Wars film would definitely make a big break in his career.
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