Good news for Star Wars fans: J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII wasn’t fully cast after all, and it turns out there was room for more than just one woman in the film. StarWars.com revealed today that recent Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and “Game of Thrones” standout Gwendoline Christie will be joining relative newcomer Daisy Ridley in the film’s expansive cast.
As is typical of a J.J. Abrams news break, we have no idea whom Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie will be playing just yet, but even so it’s a welcome injection of diversity for a franchise with a fairly spotty history when it comes to female characters. The original trilogy only featured one female protagonist throughout three films (and only two somewhat prominent supporting roles for women) and the prequel trilogy didn’t feature any female characters who didn’t wind up dead by the closing credits of Revenge of the Sith. Even then, there were only two with dramatically significant roles to play in the prequel story, at least who had enough dialogue to speak of.
Say what you will about J.J. Abrams (and fans already are; he has his supporters and detractors alike), but he’s always done an excellent job of managing an ensemble cast featuring strong characters of multiple races and genders. This casting announcement is excellent news because Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie are excellent actors, but also because it looks like Abrams recognizes their talents and is likely to give them time to shine.
Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled to open in theaters on December 18, 2015.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
