Late yesterday evening, The Hollywood Reporter revealed the following: Kevin Feige, mastermind of the MCU and owner of 10,000 unique baseball caps, has signed on to develop a new Star Wars film, one which will be amongst an as-yet-undetermined number of new Star Wars films being planned in the wake of JJ Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

In a statement to THR, Walt Disney Studios co-chairman and chief creative officer Alan Horn said:

"We are excited about the projects Kathy and the Lucasfilm team are working on, not only in terms of Star Wars but also Indiana Jones and reaching into other parts of the company including Children of Blood and Bone with Emma Watts and Fox. With the close of the Skywalker Saga, Kathy is pursuing a new era in Star Wars storytelling, and knowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense for these two extraordinary producers to work on a Star Wars film together."

Obviously, this news has generated no small amount of industry chatter: is Feige taking his first steps towards one day taking over Lucasfilm? THR says "a top Disney source" tells them that Kennedy remains firmly in charge (with no plans for a baton-passing), but one suspects this denial will not end the chatter. For now, we're prepared to take all of the above at face value. il

Then there's this:

"One knowledgeable source says Feige has told a major actor that there’s a specific role he would like that person to play if and when he makes the movie."

Now, see, this is where we can do some fun speculation: who might this "major actor" be? The fact that Feige already has an actor in mind indicates he also has an idea what kind of story his Star Wars film will be telling. The actor could be just about anyone (Robert Downey Jr.?) and their role could be entirely new (it feels unlikely that this would be a prequel situation), so sound off with your best guesses - hell, let's hear your Most Wanted! - in the comments below. 

Stay tuned for more on this, whatever this turns out to be, as further updates become available.

(Note: Header photo by Gage Skidmore, used w/ permission via Wikimedia Commons)