After countless rumors and speculation, the Disney and Lucasfilm team decided not to wait until Star Wars Day on Sunday to announce the full cast for Star Wars: Episode VII. Many of the names that have been thrown around will be seen in the film, along with some familiar faces.
In a post on Star Wars.com, which includes a photo of the table read of the script, Abrams said that he was “excited” to finally reveal the cast. “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,” Abrams added. “We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."
Without any further delay, here’s the cast:
Adam Driver, who is best known as Lena Dunham’s boyfriend on Girls, has been linked to the project since February. It is expected that he will play a new villain in the film.
John Boyega has also been linked to the project in recent months. His biggest credit to date is Attack of the Block, but he will also be seen in 24: Live Another Day.
Daisy Ridley is a newcomer to the Hollywood scene. She has appeared on the Silent Witness TV series.
Andy Serkis is probably the most well-known name joining the cast. He’s best known for playing the motion-capture characters Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ Caesar. Serkis was recently hired to direct Warner Bros.’ Jungle Book film.
Domhnall Gleeson just earned the biggest role of his career. He has had roles in Dredd, About Time and the Coen Brothers’ True Grit.
Surprisingly, veteran star Max Von Sydow has joined the film. His list of credits is too long to include here, but film fans know him best for his work with Ingmar Bergman and he finally earned an Oscar nomination for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. You can also see him in The Exorcist and Minority Report.
Lucasfilm and Disney also confirmed that Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker will all be back.
Star Wars: Episode VII opens on Dec. 18, 2015.
top image: LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 15: Actor Oscar Isaac attends the "Inside Llewyn Davis" Centrepiece Gala Supported By The Mayor Of London screening during the 57th BFI London Film Festival at Odeon Leicester Square on October 15, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI) *** Local Caption *** Oscar Isaac
image via Facebook from StarWars.com