LA Times article about the role of the new female characters with an interesting hint from Kathleen Kennedy: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-ca-hc-the-women-of-star-wars-the-force-awakens-20151206-htmlstory.html
But you won’t see Phasma tapping out after being carelessly knocked into a sarlacc pit like a wobbly toddler. Kennedy has big plans for Phasma and confirmed that the captain will carry on into the next movie. “She’s an important character, a baddie in the best sense of the word.”
Looks like Phasma will definitely survive TFA, unless KK is talking about spinoffs.
Phasma aka Game of Thrones Gwendoline Christie is well cast IMO In fact the casting on TFA is decent in comparison to that other trio of star wars related films.