Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie cast in new Star Wars movie
Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie will be joining the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII, Lucasfilm announced Monday.
Nyong'o won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Patsey in 12 Years a Slave, while Christie is best known for her role in Game of Thrones as Brienne of Tarth.
"I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in the official announcement. "It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams, and co-written by both Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, the latter of whom previously co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It has a planned release date of Dec. 18, 2015.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively