Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie Added to Cast of ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

Last month, not long after the main cast of Star Wars: Episode VII cast had been announced,  J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdam got on the YouTubes and hinted there were still a few big casting decisions to come, breathing a bit of life into the moribund Star Wars rumor industry.

Today that suggestion bore fruit, as Disney and Lucasfilms have announced that Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o and non-Oscar winner Gwedoline Christie have joined Daisy Ridley and Carrie Fisher on the cast of the new Star Wars film, doubling the number of women involved in the hotly anticipated sci-fi epic.

Nyong'o, of course, is the relative Hollywood newcomer who was the breakout star of the 2014 Oscars, where she won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. Christie, meanwhile, plays fan favorite Brienne of Tarth of Game of Thrones, and can also be seen in the upcoming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. Together, they make a formiddable addition to the cast of Episode VII.

But is that really it, then? Are we done with the casting announcements? I for one hope not. I'm still holding out hope for Billy Dee Williams.

[via]