The cast of JJ Abrams’ STAR WARS: EPISODE VII revealed & a photo of them all together

The cast of JJ Abrams’ STAR WARS: EPISODE VII revealed & a photo of them all together
April 29th, Pinewood Studios, UK - Writer/Director/Producer J.J Abrams (top center right) at the cast read-through of Star Wars Episode VII at Pinewood Studios with (clockwise from right) Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Producer Bryan Burk, Lucasfilm President and Producer Kathleen Kennedy, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Writer Lawrence Kasdan. Copyright and Photo Credit: David James.

(Click For Full-Size Photo) April 29th, Pinewood Studios, UK – Writer/Director/Producer J.J Abrams (top center right) at the cast read-through of Star Wars Episode VII at Pinewood Studios with (clockwise from right) Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Producer Bryan Burk, Lucasfilm President and Producer Kathleen Kennedy, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Writer Lawrence Kasdan. Copyright and Photo Credit: David James.

Let’s get the actual release out of the way, since it was so long in coming:

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of STAR WARS: EPISODE VII.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Director J.J. Abrams says, “We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.”

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

Now, let’s take a look at who J.J. Abrams has assembled for the film. We already knew the cast from the “Classic Trilogy” would be returning in some capacity, so let’s get acquainted with the fresh blood.

The most intriguing casting might be the great Max von Sydow. He’s got a body of work spanning six decades, from THE SEVENTH SEAL to THE EXORCIST, DREAMSCAPE to FLASH GORDON, MINORTY REPORT to SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS. It’s a move reminiscent of putting Alec Guinness in the mix of STAR WARS, and speaks to what kind of role we hope he’ll be filling in the new film.

Next up on the recognizability scale is Andy Serkis, who has done ridiculously good work with Peter Jackson (the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, THE HOBBIT, and KING KONG) and the two reboot PLANET OF THE APES films. Is it a forgone conclusion Serkis will be doing a motion capture character, or will we get to see his real face as an EPISODE VII character?

While it wasn’t officially announced until today, Adam Driver has been linked as a firm casting decision for the movie two months ago. He’s best known for the character Adam Sackler in HBO’s hit series GIRLS, with standout roles in INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, LINCOLN and FRANCIS HA. When his casting was leaked earlier in the year, he was pegged as a villain in the new film.

Acting alongside Driver in INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS as the lead in the film, Oscar Isaac has been busy in film and television work over the last decade, with roles in DRIVE, SUCKER PUNCH and CHÉ.

John Boyega caught our eye as the lead in Joe Cornish’s British alien invasion film ATTACK THE BLOCK. He’s charismatic, handles action choreography well, and versatile. We’ll see more of his work next month when 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY hits the airwaves on FOX.

Genre fans know a bit about Domhnall Gleeson‘s work from HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS as Bill Weasley. He’s worked in film and sketch comedy in the UK for over a decade.

The cast member we know the least about (which should make her the most “Googled” person for this week) is Daisy Ridley. Seen above in the cast table read photo chatting up Carrie Fisher, Ridley’s biggest credits to date have been bit parts in several BBC TV dramas, and a role in the upcoming horror film SCRAWL. There was early speculation that Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o was up for a role as a “sarcastic badass” in EPISODE VII. That role might have gone to Ridley instead, if accurate.

As this may be the last real news we see from the film’s production until we get the first trailer, let the wild speculation about roles and “who shoulda been cast” begin.

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