STAR WARS VII Update: Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie Join The Fray

The official Star Wars site has just announced that two particularly interesting actors have been cast in the upcoming film

Lupita Nyong'o is perhaps the highest profile signing to date, having taken Hollywood by storm with her stunning, Oscar-winning performance in 12 Years A Slave. There had been rumours floating around for sometime about her inclusion, but it's only today that the news had been made official.

An equally interesting choice is made by including Game Of Thrones actor Gwendoline Christie. The towering actress has shown great range on the show playing Brienne of Tarth, and it'll be very interesting to see just what kind of character she ends up playing. I think with both powerful performers, we're unlikely to see meek, shrinking violet characters in the final film.

Shooting continues in London, and while some rumour sites have been spilling set pics, we've chosen at this time not to publish them. That said, it does appear (if the pics are to be believed) that J.J. and team are incorporating large scale physical puppets into the shooting strategy. While the use of makeup/prosthetics was integrated thoroughly into the Prequel films, and several large puppets were used in the Jedi Council scene in The Phantom Menace, it hasn't been since Return of the Jedi that a fully articulated large-scale creature has been done practically, something that may give a different, vintage aesthetic to Abrahams' take on the Star Wars universe.

Full release below:

Star Wars: Episode VII Adds Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie

Lupita Nyong'o joins the recently announced cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. This year, her breakthrough performance in 12 Years a Slave earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Gwendoline Christie, currently starring in the hit television series Game of Thrones as Brienne of Tarth, has also been cast in the production. She can next be seen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.

"I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII," says 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.