An Oscar winner and a sword-swinging knight of Westeros have joined the cast of the Episode VII.

Lupita Nyong’o, star of 12 Years a Slave, will be adding her considerable acting talent to the ensemble of heavyweights and newcomers already gathered by JJ Abrams.

British actress Gwendoline Christie, currently winning praise in Game of Thrones for her role as Brienne of Tarth, has also been cast in the production.

The news was announced on the Star Wars website; although no mention was made of the roles the actresses would play.

Christie as Brienne of Tarth

Lucasfilm president, Kathleen Kennedy, said: “I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII. It’s thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.”

In other news; gossip and showbiz website, TMZ has acquired and “leaked” new pictures from the Episode VII film set in Abu Dhabi.

The pictures show a new kind of alien creature, akin almost to a flabby Dewback, and several pictures of a Tatooine-like market and other buildings. I wonder if Watto is still trading…

Also shown are some flamboyantly robed and masked actors and extras, Jedi robes or simply practical desert attire?

The fact that the creature has been physically built and sculpted is already an encouraging sign for the film; Abrams has hopefully learned that, as far as CGI in Star Wars goes, less is more.

Also leaked by TMZ are a further series of pictures which appear to show the construction of the iconic, Kessel-Run vehicle of choice, the Millenium Falcon.

Other pictures show another starship being built, the distinctive cannons and body shape defining it as a Z-95 Headhunter, precursor to the X-Wing. Perhaps it will be used in a flashback sequence, or maybe it’s just an antique being flown by a hard-up bounty hunter.

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The writer of this piece was: Lewis “Daft Vader” Campbell