After weeks of rumors and a bitter taste left in many fans’ mouths after the release of the initial casting list in April, two actresses have been added to the next installment of the Star Wars saga: Lupita Nyong’o, who was rumored to have been in talks with Disney/Lucasfilm for a role in the film, and Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie.
Nyong’o came to the forefront of mainstream media with her Oscar-winning performance in 12 Years A Slave. Rumor is that the young actress will play the role of Asajj Ventress, a former acolyte of Sith Lord Count Dooku before he left her for dead on Darth Sidious’s orders. Another rumor that made the rounds was that she would play a descendant/relative of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Neither has been confirmed.
Christie, meanwhile, is a name that has not been as widely speculated to be joining Episode VII. Christie has proven herself to be a formidable actress by simultaneously playing innocent and powerfully imposing in her role as Brienne of Tarth in HBO’s Game of Thrones. (Stormy’s note: I would love nothing more than to see Christie as a new Sith Lady in Episode VII. How perfect would she be?)
“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.”
As of this writing, no roles have been announced for either actress, simply that they have been signed on.
Meanwhile, TMZ released a slew of photos from the set of Episode VII. POSSIBLE SPOILERS INVOLVED! Enjoy!
About Reporter Michelle Lawhorn:
Michelle, a.k.a. Stormraven, is what can only be described as an eclectic nerd. Her interests and expertise range from Doctor Who to Lord of the Rings, cosplay to comics, and Bollywood to opera to name just a few. When not raving about her “fandoms”, she can be found working on projects as an Associate Editor at Haven Publishing and adding to her ever-growing list of Things to Cosplay. She can currently be found searching for more material to feed her newfound obsession with Star Wars.
So everyone got all up in arms about there not being enough female cast members and then they throw us two great actors? I was pretty excited just by the first cast-list, now I am even more excited!! 😀