The Oscar winning star of 12 Years a Slave Lupita Nyong'o has met with producers of the upcoming Star Wars episode 7 and the rumour mill suggests that she’ll soon be announced as the female lead. Sources suggest that Nyongo’o had a meeting with J.J. Abrams, who will also direct the Star Wars sequel, several weeks before her Oscar success for best supporting actress.

After taking the Oscar, Nyong’o’s career is under more scrutiny than ever before. As 12 Years was her first feature appearance after years of working on TV, movie audiences don’t know what to expect from the 31 year old actress who was born in Mexico but raised in Kenya. After hitting the big time with her feature debut she’s been linked to major roles in high-profile movies like Warner Bros’s Pan, an origin story for the classic Peter Pan character, and her name’s been mentioned in connection with the Daniel Craig starring courtroom drama, The Whole Truth.

Being connected to the Star Wars sequel trilogy is keeping her name in the press but because of the secrecy surrounding the latest instalment’s production, there’s no word on what role she’s being considered for. There’s a chance that she could be cast as a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi as the part’s been described as a “non-Caucasian role” by the producers.

The two main leads that are being cast are also a very closely guarded secret, but we do know that producers are looking for an actor and actress in their twenties. Several sources are suggesting that Jesse Plemons, Ed Speleers and John Boyega are the three actors in the frame for the coveted male lead in Star Wars 7.

There’s no news on who the production team are considering for the equally important female lead, but we’ve learnt that 30 year old American actor Adam Driver is considering the part of an undisclosed villain in the movie.