The much-anticipated new Star Wars movie will feature several members of the original cast, the film’s director revealed on Tuesday.
“Star Wars: Episode VII” will star Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo, Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Princess Leia, and Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the hit trilogy, director J.J. Abrams announced on the movie’s Web site Starwars.com.
“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,” Abrams said in statement.
“We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud,” he added.
Actors Anthony Daniels, who played C3P0 in the original movie, Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, and Kenny Baker, who played R2D2, will also return to the big screen.
New stars will include “Inside Llewyn Davis” star Oscar Isaac, “Girls” actor Adam Driver , and John Boyega of “Attack the Block,” according to the announcement. Actor Andy Serkis of “The Lord of the Rings” was also cast.
Driver has been tipped for months as the main villain in the new installment, which Disney CEO Bob Iger said would be set 30 years after 1983’s “Return of the Jedi.’’
Ford, Hamill and Fisher were spotted in London, where the movie is scheduled to be filmed, last weekend, sparking rumors of an all-star-reunion cast.
On Tuesday, Abrams also posted a timeline for the film’s first reading, along with photos.