Following on from the initial reveal, Lucasfilm has announced the next wave of actors for the Star Wars sequel.

Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o, fresh from her success in Steve McQueen's harrowing 12 Years a Slave, and Gwendoline Christie, best known to genre fans as the fierce warrior Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones, will be starring in the JJ Abrams-helmed

Episode VII.


The pair will be joining the returning vanguard of Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, and newcomers including John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. "I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII. It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape," said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, via press release.

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Kennedy's enthusiasm is well warranted -- both actors are fantastically talented, and more than capable of adding some gravitas to the film should Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan's script for the film supply them with rich enough material. Kasdan did write

Empire Stikes Back though, so hopes are high. The announcement of Nyong'o and Christie may also help quiet some of the more critical voices surrounding the new film, which has been (quite fairly) called out for being overwhelmingly white and male.


As with the earlier cast revelations, no information has been revealed as to the roles any of the new actors will play in the film. Judging from Kennedy's comments, this isn't likely to be the last round of announcements for the movie though.

Lupita Nyong'o Image: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com

Gwendoline Christie Image: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com