It's a Star Wars tradition to participate in a splashy Vanity Fair cover shoot by famed photographer Annie Liebowitz, and Star Wars: Episode 7 is no different (although it almost was: rumors were that J.J. Abrams wanted to buck that tradition, but Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was able to talk him into it). The cast and crew of The Force Awakens are on the cover of the upcoming June issue and while even more photos will be revealed from inside the magazine, we do get our first look at Adam Driver without his Kylo Ren mask and Lupita Nyong’o’s motion-capture character!

Confirming what we already mostly knew, Adam Driver is indeed playing the villainous Kylo Ren, and we can see him leading stormtroopers with his mask removed. We also now know that Lupita Nyong’o is playing Maz Kanata, a fully CGI character, who is described as a pirate, (whether she’s on the side of the resistance or not, we still don’t know) and that Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie is playing Captain Phasma, that chrome stormtrooper.

May the fourth be with you Star Wars fans. To celebrate Star Wars Day, today we'll be getting a big look behind-the-scenes of the upcoming movie with lots of new looks at the movie and the cast. There's even this tidbit from Abrams on his plans for the return of Jar Jar Binks:

I have a thought about putting Jar Jar Binks’s bones in the desert there. I’m serious! Only three people will notice, but they’ll love it.

You can watch a brief behind-the-scenes video from the shoot below and the new pictures below that. We’ll continue to update with more as they become available.

You can see much more from the big Vanity Fair article on their site here.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters on December 18.

Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) stands alongside his trusty X-wing fighter. / Photo by Vanity Fair

J. J. Abrams directs Actress Daisy Ridley for a scene in which her character, the young heroine Rey, pilots her speeder through a bustling marketplace on the planet Jakku. / Photo by Vanity Fair

Galactic travelers, smugglers, and other assorted riffraff fill the main hall of pirate Maz Kanata’s castle. / Photo by Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) commands snowtroopers loyal to the evil First Order on the frozen plains of their secret base. / Photo by Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

Check Out This Beautiful Concept Art From the Original Star Wars Films