Star Wars: Episode VII has added Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie to its recently announced cast.
The official Star Wars website made the announcement on Monday.
The film’s cast was initially announced back in April, and it brought about a disturbance in the Force because the line up was primarily male. Substantial rumors surfaced saying that more female roles had yet to be cast, and we now know that those rumors were accurate.
“I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement. “It’s thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.”
Nyong’o and Christie will join a cast that includes returning actors Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker as well as new actors John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow.
Nyong’o is best known for her Oscar winning performance in last year’s Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave, and for good reason. It’s the film that put her on the map to land roles like Star Wars: Episode VII and The Jungle Book. Lupita also had a supporting role in the Liam Neeson starrer Non-Stop and will appear in Who Shot the Sheriff? and Southpaw.
Christie is most known for her role on Game of Thrones, but she’s also had small roles in projects such as The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Game of Thrones is the role that made her famous however, and it’s the role that likely helped her win a role in Star Wars: Episode VII as well as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & Part 2 as Commander Lyme.