Marvel's 'Iron Fist' casts 'The Force Awakens' actress in lead role

Marvel’s Iron Fist has found its female lead — and she’s also from HBO’s Game of Thrones!

Jessica Henwick has landed the coveted role of martial arts expert Colleen Wing in the Netflix series. A martial arts expert running her own dojo, Colleen will serve as an invaluable ally to Iron Fist, aka Danny Rand (Finn Jones), as he returns to his life in New York.

On Thrones, Henwick plays one of the Sand Snakes (the whip-cracking Nymeria Sand). She also had a role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as X-Wing fighter pilot Jessika Pava. Previously, Henwick starred in the 2010 U.K. series Spirit Warriors, which was considered the first British TV series with a predominately East Asian cast. In the Marvel comics, her Iron Fist character is a saumari who first appears in Marvel Premiere #19 as one of Danny’s first friends after he left K’un-L’un.

Henwick is the second person — and second Thrones actor — cast in the upcoming action drama. Jones plays the imprisoned knight Ser Loras Tyrell on the HBO drama.

Iron Fist will open with billionaire Rand returning to New York City after being missing for years: “He fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.” Iron Fist will mark the fourth Marvel and Netflix collaboration after Daredevil, Jessica Jones and the upcoming Luke Cage, and is from showrunner Scott Buck (Dexter). No premiere date has yet been set.

Here’s Henwick in her other big roles: