Star Wars 8: Captain Phasma will be back in bigger role, confirms Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie

She said of the role: 'I thought the costume was incredibly striking. I also liked this notion of a female stormtrooper'

If you were one of the many Star Wars fans disappointed by the lack of screen time Captain Phasma got in The Force Awakens worry no more as actress Gwendoline Christie has confirmed she will be back in the role.

"I will be in the next Star Wars movie,” she told People on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The 37-year-old went on to explain what drew her to the role: "I thought the costume was incredibly striking. I also just liked this notion of a female stormtrooper.

"I felt it encouraged diversity and it was doing something new and it was an interesting bit of casting for women, and I hope that in something that was such a mainstream success it would breed more of those kind of opportunities for other women."

*Spoilers of The Force Awakens ahead*

Last time we saw the stormtrooper leader, she was at the mercy of Finn, Han Solo and Chewbacca having been apparently thrown down a garbage shoot.

How she escaped the exploding Starkiller Base is unknown, but she is reportedly going to have a much bigger role in the upcoming films.

In an interview with LA Times, President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy previously said: “She's an important character, a baddie in the best sense of the word” while elaborating on an extended role for the character.

Before The Force Awakens' release, many were hoping - thanks to the film’s marketing - that Phasma would be the sequel trilogy’s Boba Fett. However, after lowering the shields to the Starkiller Base and getting very little screen time, many fans were disappointed.

In other Star Wars news, Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow recently said he would like to film some of the film on location.