Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Officially Announced

After what seems like an eternity of casting rumors and speculation, Disney has finally announced the full cast for Star Wars: Episode VII. Most of the actors listed here aren’t too surprising, as many of them have been previously rumored for some time now. Still, it’s a huge relief to finally have an official cast line-up as this means that the relentless rumor mill can now be put to rest. Thank god!

As expected, original Star Wars cast members Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill will all show up, along with a few other alum. Joining them will be the heavily rumored Adam Driver and John Boyega, as well as a few actors who are genuine surprises (Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson). Unfortunately, we don’t have any information on who the newcomers will be playing, but with the cast now announced, you can expect more plot and character details to arrive shortly.

Personally, I’m a bit surprised that names like Michael B. Jordan, Gary Oldman, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Benedict Cumberbatch didn’t end up making it in, given how heavily rumored they were. Still, it’s not a bad cast at all and it should be exciting to see all these rising talents appear in a movie as big as this.

Star Wars: Episode VII opens on December 18th, 2015. Check out the full press release below, along with a photo of the cast at a table read in London above.

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

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, andKenny Baker in the new film.

Director J.J. Abrams says, “We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. 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. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.”

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.