An up and coming British actor, Christina Chong, has been cast in JJ Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII.

Chong, who has appeared in TV shows such as Doctor Who, Black Mirror and the latest series of 24, is believed to be playing a supporting role. The news was first reported by Latino Review and later confirmed by a number of film industry sites.

Chong tweeted her enthusiasm about the beginning of principal photography back in May, and will join a pair of young actors, Britain's Pip Andersen and American Crystal Clarke, who were announced earlier this month by Disney studios following open auditions held in the US and UK last year.

Episode VII will be headlined by Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, who are returning to the classic roles of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo from the original trilogy which hit cinemas between 1977 and 1983. A swathe of supporting actors – from Attack the Block's John Boyega to Ingmar Bergman regular Max von Sydow – were were also confirmed in May.

Abrams currently has the production on a two-week hiatus to allow Ford to recover from a broken leg sustained on set. The Star Trek film-maker has been shooting at Pinewood Studios in London and the deserts of Abu Dhabi. There has also been reports that a crew visited Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean, where TV shows such as Merlin, Dr Who and Atlantis have been filmed.

Episode VII remains on course for a December 2015 release date.

• Discarded cables suggest Forest of Dean shoot