About a month ago we posted a cast photo from STAR WARS EPISODE VII, which featured most of the principal actors, and returning actors Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels. But even then word was there were still female roles that hadn’t been cast. This week news is hitting the recent Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 YEARS A SLAVE) and GAME OF THRONES star Gwendoline Christie have officially joined the production. This feels like smart casting, obviously picking up Nyong’o fresh off her well-deserved Academy Award win is a big deal, but adding to that a powerful name from a beloved show like GAME OF THRONES is definitely inspired as well. We’re all for it, how about you? Tell us your thoughts in the comments. Read the official press release from StarWars.com below.
Lupita Nyong’o joins the recently announced cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. This year, her breakthrough performance in 12 Years a Slave earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Gwendoline Christie, currently starring in the hit television series Game of Thrones as Brienne of Tarth, has also been cast in the production. She can next be seen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.
“I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “It’s thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.”
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.
Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.