Felicity Jones to star in first 'Star Wars' spin-off movie

The British actress who landed an Oscar nomination for her performance in "The Theory of Everything" is cast in the female lead in one of Disney's planned spin-off movies, The Hollywood Reporter indicates.

Last week, Felicity Jones was still in competition with Tatiana Maslany ("Orphan Black") and Rooney Mara ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") for the female lead in the first "Star Wars" spin-off. Now she has prevailed over the other two contenders and will star in the upcoming feature, though details on the role and on the plot remain a mystery.

Gareth Edwards ("Godzilla") will helm the feature, which will be penned by Chris Weitz ("The Twilight Saga: New Moon").

Due to arrive in theaters in December 2016, the film will be one of three planned "Star Wars" spin-offs, which Disney plans to release between episodes of its new trilogy. Episode VII, "The Force Awakens," is due out in 2015, followed by episodes VIII and IX in 2017 and 2019.