Fear not,Star Warsfans because Maz Kanata will definitely be returning forStar Wars Episode 8. After reports circulated thatLupita Nyong’ohadn’tshot scenesin the movie, according to the actress herself, she has indeed shot as Maz Kanata for the follow up toStar Wars: The Force Awakens. That being said, let’s attempt to sort out some of the potential confusion.
Lupita Nyong’orecently made an appearance onThe Ellen DeGeneres Showin order to promote her new movieQueen of Katwe. During her chat withEllen DeGeneres, the subject ofStar Wars Episode VIIIcame up. The actress assured us all that she has shot her scenes for the movie and that she doesn’t know where the rumor that she hadn’t, or that she wasn’t going to be in the movie, came from. Here is what she had to say.
“I don’t know where this rumor came from! I have no idea. It hurt my feelings. I shot my scenes, it’s coming out - you never really know, when you shoot your scenes in a movie, which ones are gonna make it and all that. So, it’s always, ‘Fingers crossed!’ But as far as I know, I’m in it.”
It is interesting thatLupita Nyong’osaid she didn’t know where the rumor came from, because it came from her own mouth. This is where things get a bit confusing. In a recent interview with Collider from less than two weeks ago, the actress was asked what it was like to work withRian Johnson, who is, of course, directingStar Wars 8. At the time, she said that she hadn’t worked with him yet. Here is exactly what she said.
“Rian! I haven’t worked with him yet; I’ve yet to shoot. That’s in my future.
There is one last bit of evidence we have from a while ago that makes the above quote all the more interesting. About six months ago, directorRian Johnsontook to his various social media accounts and posted a picture that showed someone in a motion capture suit, with a couple of pictures ofMaz Kanataon some screens. At the time, that seemed to signifyLupita Nyong’owas shooting her scenes forStar Wars 8, given that she did her own motion capture inStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
So, let’s unpack what might have happened here and what this means. Firstly, it is very clear that Maz Kanata is in the movie and thatLupita Nyong’ohas shot her scenes. Now, as for the Collider quote. She was asked if she had worked withRian Johnson. It is entirely possible that she did her motion capture work with a second unit of some kind andJohnsonmay not have been on set and that she won’t or didn’t work with him until she did her voiceover for the character. It is very possible she went in to record herMazdialogue in the last ten days, and that is what changed in the time between the Collider interview and theEllen DeGeneresinterview. Basically, even though it was a bit confusing, it seems like if you follow the trail there probably weren’t any problems and things just got a little muddy and misconstrued.
Maz Kanata served as sort of a Yoda-esque character inStar Wars: The Force Awakensand given that Rey will be doing some Jedi training inStar Wars: Episode VIII, it seems essential that the character show up again. So, it is good to hear thatLupita Nyong’ois indeed coming back to reprise the role.Star Wars Episode VIIIis currently set to hit theaters on June 02, 2025. you’re able to check out the fullEllen DeGeneresclip for yourself below, as well as the Maz Kanata set picture.
