With Episode IX due to kick off production pretty soon, casting for the movie is underway and it's looking like JJ Abrams is looking to add more female leads to the story.
That Hashtag Show is reporting that two characters are being sought for the film, one of which is named Caro and the other named Mara. According to a casting notice they've seen, Caro is described as "a leader and problem solver, smart with a great sense of humor and a strong will," with a strong preference for an African-American actress aged 18-26.
Mara, meanwhile, is described as a female lead, aged between 40 and 50 years old. Now, if you're a deep Star Wars nerd, the name Mara will definitely set off a few alarm bells. For those who aren't, allow us to explain.
The Expanded Universe of Star Wars was a huge series of novels, comic-books, and videogames which were set after the events of Return of the Jedi and were ultimately discarded by Lucasfilm as it became way too unwieldy. In this version of events, Luke Skywalker became the head of a new Jedi Order and was married to a woman called Mara Jade, who was herself a Jedi and formerly an assassin for the Emperor. She and Luke eventually had a child, funnily enough named Ben - which was Kylo Ren's real name.
While the possibility of Episode IX reintroducing Mara Jade is there considering that Grand Admiral Thrawn - another Expanded Universe character - was brought back from the TV series, Rebels, the far more likely scenario is that Mara is simply a placeholder name for another character altogether and has nothing to do with Mara Jade.
That said, bringing back Mara Jade would be amazing and you could easily someone like Molly Parker playing the character really well.
Via That Hashtag Show