Clarke, 30, who plays flaxen-haired warrior queen Daenerys Targaryen in "Game of Thrones," joins Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover, who have already been announced as Han and Lando Calrissian on the project. Like "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,'" which comes out next month, the new, as yet untitled, spin-off will be set before the franchise's original 1977 film, "Star Wars," which was later renamed "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope." Lucasfilm boss and Hollywood veteran Kathleen Kennedy is co-producing the standalone film, which is expected to begin filming in January, according to Variety magazine. Last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" made more than $2 billion worldwide -- much of it in 2016 -- contributing to Walt Disney Studios marking its biggest-ever year at the global box office. The spin-off films are not expected to be as big as the main series but analysts have backed "Rogue One" to dominate this year's box office.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 19, 2016 01:41 UTC