Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie join Star Wars cast

'12 Years a Slave' star Lupita Nyong'o and 'Game of Thrones' warrior Gwendoline Christie have been announced as the latest additions to the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.
Nyong'o won an Academy Award for her breakthrough performance in Steve McQueen's harrowing slavery tale while Christie has been kicking ass and taking names as Brienne of Tarth in GoT.
"I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII," said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
"It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape."
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, and Kenny Baker in the new film.
Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams.
Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.