Towards the end last week, a rumour that originated from Giant Freakin’ Robot and MyTimeToShineHello claimed that Idris Elba, star of films such as Fast and Furious presents: Hobbs and Shaw and Thor: Ragnarok, had been cast as the villain in the upcoming untitled Star Wars movie starring Daisy Ridley and directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel). But today, reliable journalist and insider, Jeff Sneider, has taken denied those reports.
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Earlier this week I wrote an article attempting to dispel the Elba rumour, laying out why the reports were very likely to be untrue which you can read here. Today, Jeff Sneider took to his podcast, The Hot Mic to deny those rumours, telling listeners and viewers that according to his sources, those rumours are not true and also denied an outlandish rumour, once again coming from Giant Freakin’ Robot, that’s been making its way around the internet, that Alden Ehrenreich was set to return as Han Solo in the upcoming ‘MandoVerse’ crossover event film being directed by Dave Filoni and that Lucasfilm were looking to recast the role of Leia Organa. Sneider simply said;
“The Idris Elbra villain story and Alden Ehrenreich coming back, the recasting of Leia [Organa], none of this stuff is true.” Jeff Sneider via The Hot Mic

I’m happy that somebody of Sneider’s credibility has stepped out to fight back against the rumours that sent social media alight last week, with some fans choosing to get lost in the excitement of the possible casting amongst other rumours, instead of researching the possibility of the stories being true. There’s always been outlets and people peddling untrue rumours, and for some reason fans eat it up without much thought or research. My goal at Bespin Bulletin has always been to cover reports from reliable outlets and people, including releasing my own reports – with my track record speaking for itself. If I don’t cover a particular rumour or report on this website, it’s because the outlet or person has a questionable track record to say the least, or they simply don’t have a track record at all.
The next Star Wars movie is rumoured to be that led by Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker, with Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) penning the script and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy in the directors chair. The film will focus on Rey building a new Jedi Order and is expected to be released on May 22nd, 2026.
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