Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Revealed

Bad news today for fans of Jar Jar Binks (shame on you, by the way): the main cast of Star Wars: Episode VII has been announced, and Ahmed Best – the unfortunate soul who has to live with being the voice and motion model for everyone's least-favourite racist stereotype in the Star Wars universe – is nowhere to be found.

It would have been sweeter on May the 4^th, but we'll take it.

The absence of Billy Dee Williams – and thus, Lando Calrissian – is slightly off-putting, but his original-trilogy co-stars Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Kenny Baker (R2-D2) will be joined by John Boyega (Attack The Block), newcomer Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver (Girls), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings), Domhnall Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, parts I & II) and apparently immortal film icon Max von Sydow.

Pic: Lucasfilm

“We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII,” the film's director, J. J. Abrams, said. “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. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.”

Making the fans proud is a sentiment apparently not lost on Harrison Ford, who made fanboys fall in love with him all over again when he responded to that question in a recent Reddit AMA as though he has literally not stopped being Han Solo in the past 31 years.

A very optimistic, and very game, user by the name of SuperC142 asked: “Mr Ford, I think we would all like to know: Who shot first? Han Solo or Greedo?”

To which the erudite Ford replied, “I don't know and I don't care.”

More like Han YOLO. Ahem.

The movie is due to hit cinemas around the world on December 18, 2015.