Few knew the name Millie Bobby Brown before July 2016 – but then Stranger Things landed on Netflix, and the 13-year-old shot straight to the top of everyone’s list for everything. Her performance in the role of Eleven – a young girl with strange and deadly powers – was undoubtedly one of the most remarkable aspects of a highly original series, and so it comes as little surprise that Brown is now inundated with attention, and work.
While audiences patiently await the second season of Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown has been hitting the convention trail – recently attending the Emerald City Comi-Con. There, she was asked by a fan which role she would most like to tackle, and Brown reiterated her previous statements that it’s the Star Wars Universe on which she has her eye.
“Princess Leia. I love Carrie Fisher and it would be amazing to carry on her legacy.”
Brown has mentioned this ambition before, and it’s one that’s been echoed by fans on social media since Stranger Things first premiered, and since the passing of Carrie Fisher in December 2016. The resemblance between Brown and the young Carrie Fisher is certainly uncanny and Brown has most definitely got the required skills.
This subtle but consistent lobbying on the part of Millie Bobby Brown is important, because it represents a fantastic opportunity for Disney and LucasFilm. In the rapidly expanding Star Wars Universe, we have the core, saga movies, and a growing list of Anthology tales. Rogue One was a huge success, and a Han Solo movie is already in production. A third, as yet unconfirmed Anthology movie is also in the works – but the point is that the franchise is crying out for a Princess Leia origin story. It just makes perfect sense.
Leia is an integral part of the Star Wars story, and her presence has dominated the series for thirty years. But, there is a giant gap in her tale – from birth (Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith), to fearless military leader (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope). We were afforded a tiny glimpse of the beloved Leia in the final moments of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – which sought to tell the tale mentioned in the opening crawl of A New Hope – but such a central, iconic character deserves much greater attention.
There’s a brilliant story waiting to be told, of this remarkable young woman’s early years on the planet Alderaan, and there’s nobody better to fill the role than the breakout star of Stranger Things – Millie Bobby Brown. Though the actress has the second season of the show arriving on Netflix on October 31st, along with a starring role in 2018’s Godzilla: King Of Monsters, there must surely be space for a trip to a galaxy far, far away as well.