There were many new and exciting characters that were introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and while many of them we still have yet to figure out, the one that is perhaps the most mysterious is Maz Kanata. Played by Lupita Nyong’o,, Maz is no ordinary 1,000-year-old barkeep; she is a wise alien who seems to have a strong connection to the mystical side of the galaxy.

Certainly, the lack of knowing the character’s history within the Star Wars universe would be enough to have her come back for Star Wars: Episode VIII, and there has been some indication that she would, in fact, be making a return. However, Nyong’o is now saying that she hasn’t even shot her scenes yet. More on the story below.

While promoting Queen of Katwe at TIFF, Nyong’o replies to Collider about working with Episode VIII director Rian Johnson:

Okay, the final sentence in that statement means that Maz is scheduled to appear in the film; after all, we still have to go through months of reshoots before the sequel is released December 2017. And it only makes sense that a CGI motion-capture character like hers would be done during reshoots, and given that production has just finished, I’d say that there is more than plenty of time for them to get the character right, at least visually.

We still know next to nothing about Episode VIII other than the fact that the First Order will probably retaliate against the Resistance after Starkiller base has been destroyed. Rey will probably undergo some Jedi training with Luke Skywalker, and Kylo Ren will also undergo training with Supreme Leader Snoke. Given that Maz seems to know a lot about The Force and the Dark Side, it would seem like a huge waste to not revisit her or at least have her hand out some much-needed wisdom when Rey, Poe, and Finn need it. It should be interesting to see if Episode VIII will be shrouded in the same secrecy that The Force Awakens was.

We’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date on any developments, including the release of the official title and plot synopsis.

Star Wars: Episode VIII opens in theaters on December 15, 2017.

[Source: Collider]