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Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie have been cast in Star Wars Episode VII .
The news was confirmed through the official Star Wars website today (2 June).
“I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII,” said Lucas film president Kathleen Kennedy.
“It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.”
The pair join original cast members Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker, who are each reprising their roles from the original trilogy, as well as saga newcomers John Boyega, Daisy Ridley , Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow.
Star Wars 7 cast in picturesShow all 15 1 /15Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Star Wars 7 cast in pictures John Boyega The 22-year-old best known for sci-fi movie Attack the Block is a new arrival for Star Wars and will be one of the sequel's 'trio of young leads'.
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Harrison Ford Ford will be returning as Han Solo for Star Wars 7 and is rumoured to have a 'gigantic role in the first of the next three films'.
Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Daisy Ridley There's not much out there on Ridley, who is a relative unknown bar appearances in TV dramas Casualty and Mr Selfridge. But the British actress is set to become a huge star now...
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Adam Driver Lena Dunham tweeted confirmation that her fellow Girls star had landed the role of the villain in JJ Abrams' film. Now he has been officially confirmed and is expected to play a Darth Vader-like baddie.
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Carrie Fisher Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the 1977 original, has confirmed she will reprise the role in upcoming Star Wars films.
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Kenny Baker Baker played R2-D2 in the Star Wars franchise and will be back reprising his role for the 7th movie.
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Domhnall Gleeson Gleeson played Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter films and recently starred with Rachel McAdams in About Time. He has been confirmed for Star Wars 7.
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Miltos Yerolemou The Game of Thrones actor is not expected to have a 'major part' in the film
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Oscar Isaac Last seen in the Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis, Isaac has been confirmed as a new arrival and will likely feature in a lead role.
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Andy Serkis Also confirmed for the 7th installment is Serkis - who has a reputation as one of the best motion capture actors out there. So expect him to portray some sort of other worldly character.
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Max Von Sydow He's not a spring chicken but Von Sydow is a new arrival to Star Wars. Rumours suggest he might play a sinister old Jedi but that remains to be seen.
Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Mark Hamill Mark Hamill will be back as Luke Skywalker along with his fellow original cast members Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford.
Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Anthony Daniels Anthony Daniels has starred as C-3PO in past Star Wars films and will be back for JJ Abram's seventh.
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Peter Mayhew Peter Mayhew will reprise his role as Chewbacca with many fans excited at the theoretical prospect of a wizened old Chewie retired from space flight
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Star Wars 7 cast in pictures Original Star Wars trio Here are the original Star Wars trio of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill back in the day.
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Nyong’o won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in 12 Years A Slave earlier this year, while Christie in known for her role as Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones .
The seventh in the Star Wars series is being shot at London’s Pinewood Studios, with JJ Abrams as director.
The film is due for release on 18 December 2015.
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