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These are the faces of 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

Several actors you already love, and some that you will

Disney and Lucasfilm announced that a new Star Wars trilogy was on the way back in October of 2012, but details have been slow in coming. Today, however, director J.J. Abrams and the rest of the production announced the key cast members of Star Wars: Episode VII.

The biggest news is the return of the trio of actors that defined Star Wars for a generation: Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa. However, all three were relative unknowns back in 1977 when Star Wars hit screens. Following in that same tradition, many of the performers Abrams has assembled for Episode VII wouldn't be considered household names. Let's take a look at some of the faces we'll be seeing in theaters on December 18th, 2015.

Update June 2nd, 1:00PM: We've added Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie to our gallery after today's announcement.

'Star Wars: Episode VII' cast images

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Lupita Nyong’o rocketed to the global stage last year thanks to her brilliant turn in 12 Years s Slave — a role that earned her an Oscar for best supporting actress. Her casting is just one more sign that J.J. Abrams is pulling out all the stops to fill his film with tremendous actors; hopefully they'll be working from a script that matches their talents. (Photo courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.)