Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker
What they said
Finally I can officially say: I'M IN!!! #StarWars #StarWarsEpVII
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) April 30, 2014What others said
"They've got Mark in the gym," said Robert Englund, who played horror icon Freddie Krueger in multiple Nightmare on Elm Street films, of his friend in September last year. "Because Mark's coming back as Luke Skywalker. They've got him doing his sit-ups."
What we say
The 62-year-old actor was last seen mastering his Jedi powers in 1983's Return of the Jedi. He has been one of the project's biggest cheerleaders, and - next to Carrie Fisher - has perhaps the most to gain from Abrams' decision to refocus Episode VII on the iconic trio from the original film trilogy. There have been doubts over the ability of Hamill, who has mostly worked as a voice actor in recent years, to get into shape for the physical demands of playing Skywalker. But the Oakland-born actor looked relatively trim and Jedi-like in a shot taken with British comic Peter Serafinowicz in London earlier this week.
Harrison Ford: Han Solo
What they said
"I've not quite made the choice," said Ford on the Graham Norton Show in October. There had been rumours that Ford was not overly-keen on returning to a saga in which Solo was ostensibly a supporting character, despite all that scoundrelly charm.
What others said
"Ford's relationship with the galaxy far, far away has been … icy, to put it in Hoth terms" - MTV.
What we say
Episode VII's one big doubt, now 100% confirmed in the role of everyone's favourite scruffy nerd herder. Deadline reports that he has a "gigantic" role in the first three films, which may have helped convince the 71-year-old to sign on. Certainly, the world at large is likely to take more kindly to a return for Solo than another late effort in the Indiana Jones saga, which was dealt a killer blow by the CGI-ridden Kingdom of the Crystal Skull six years ago. Can he still make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs at his age?
Carrie Fisher: Princess Leia Organa
What they said
"She's in an intergalactic old folks' home," said the comedian and actor of Leia's return in March. "I just think she would be just like she was before, only slower and less inclined to be up for the big battle."
What others said
"I love Carrie Fisher so much," wrote Forbes Magazine's Dorothy Pomerantz in August last year. "I love the way she looks now and I love how brutally honest and funny she can be. But I do not love the prospect of her playing Leia again. The grown up Fisher is great but a very different person than the young girl who became every young male sci-fi fan's fantasy when she appeared in a gold bikini in Return of the Jedi. I'm not looking forward to the snarky comments about her weight and her age."
What we say
The youngest of the original trio at 57, Fisher's battle with drugs and alcohol in the wake of her early success have been ruthlessly documented, not least in her novel Postcards from the Edge, which was later made into an Oscar-nominated comedy based on Fisher's own screenplay. She has spent more time on the stage with her one-woman show than in front of the camera in recent years, so will be under more pressure than anyone else to recapture the spirit of the original films.
Daisy Ridley: Unknown
What they said
"Overwhelmed by all the support. This is the greatest day of my life," Ridley wrote on Twitter, before unceremoniously deleting her account. "I'm told I can't say who I'm playing yet, but it's exciting!"
What others said
The Mashable blog has done some digging, and discovered that Ridley's in her early 20s, has a London accent and counts jazz singing among her skills. We've just published a Passnotes.
What we say
The only younger female actor announced in Star Wars' main cast, there is a strong chance that the little-known British guest star of TV show Mr Selfridge has a very big part to play in Episode VII and its sequels. A cast shot of a script reading shows her positioned between Ford and Fisher. Might she play the daughter of Han Solo and Leia?
Adam Driver: Unknown villain
What they said
He's been keeping schtum.
What others said
"Exact details are unknown, but the character is said to be in the vein of iconic Star Wars villain Darth Vader," said Variety in February.
What we say
Best known as the unpredictable, big-hearted Adam Sackler in HBO's Girls, Driver's appointment is an exciting one. It typifies the difference between Abrams' casting process and the approach taken by George Lucas for the weak prequel trilogy.
John Boyega: Unknown
What they said
"Honoured to join this amazing universe and thank you for all the support ... May the force be with you!"
Honoured to join this amazing universe and thank you for all the support ....May the force be with you #SWVII pic.twitter.com/XGs60LXPTg
— John Boyega (@JBoyega) April 29, 2014What others said
"The 22-year-old British actor is best known for playing Moses in 2011's teen monster movie, Attack The Block," writes Business Insider. A lot of other people concur. Variety reckons he's the male lead.
What we say
So excellent as a tough teenage hoodie with a talent for taking out extra-terrestrial nasties in Joe Cornish's Attack the Block, Peckham-born Boyega has been on Hollywood's radar all year. Might he play one of the next generation of Jedi Knights trained by Skywalker et al to keep the peace in the post-Empire galaxy? Or will he join Driver on the Dark Side?
Domhnall Gleeson: Unknown
What they said
He's staying quiet
What others said
"The son of Brendan Gleeson, Domhnall, now 30, has already appeared in such films as Anna Karenina, True Grit, Calvary and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," writes The Irish Times. "Next week, he can be seen opposite Michael Fassbender in Lenny Abrahamson's offbeat comedy, Frank."
What we say
Gleeson had a standout supporting role as a red-eyed "perp" in the excellent comic book adaptation Dredd in 2012, as well as portraying Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter films. Capable of adding colour to even the slightest of parts, the Irishman is another hugely impressive addition to the cast.
Peter Mayhew: Chewbacca
What they said
"I intend to pursue the role of Chewbacca for Episode VII," Mayhew told Bleedingcool.com in September, via a message from film-maker W Ryan Ziegler, who is making a documentary about the actor.
What others said
"It would be pretty great to see Mayhew bring Chewbacca to life once again, so let's hope for the best on this one," wrote Screen Rant's Andy Crump last month.
What we say
Nobody does the wookie walk quite like Mayhew. Apparently the 69-year-old Briton was replaced temporarily by another tall man during filming of Return of the Jedi after falling ill. The stand-in was unable to emulate Mayhew's style and the scenes subsequently had to be reshot. Mayhew, who stood 7ft 3in tall in his youth, previously starred as Chewbacca in four Star Wars films – the original trilogy and 2005's prequel Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Anthony Daniels: C-3PO
What they said
Apologies to all those fans at Calgary Expo who asked me about Ep VII. Keeping the secret in front of y'all was the hardest act I ever did. — Anthony Daniels (@ADaniels3PO) April 29, 2014 What others said
"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if Daniels did come back, especially considering that the iconic robot character is almost a given to return," said Trent Moore of blastr.com last year. "But since he's in a suit (or could become CGI at this point), there's always the option to recast. Here's hoping that's not the case, and Daniels gets a chance to go seven-for-seven."
What we say
C-3PO and his diminutive pal R2D2 (Kenny Baker) have been at the centre of every film in the series since 1977 - despite the fact that Daniels and Baker reportedly don't get on at all. We can only help that their involvement this time around is rather better-written than in the prequel trilogy, in which comic relief often slipped into clownish tomfoolery to the irritation of filmgoers over the age of three.
Andy Serkis: Unknown
What they said
Not a murmur
What others said
A surprise, unheralded appointment
What we say
The Lord of the Rings star is a go-to for big budget genre fare, having played Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films (and the first Hobbit movie) and taken on Caesar the talking ape for Rise of the Planet of the Apes and its forthcoming sequel. Will the British actor bring his mo-cap skills to a Star Wars character? If so, that would really be something to see.
Oscar Isaac: Unknown
What they said
He's not said a thing
What others said
No-one saw this one coming
What we say
Last seen in the Coen brothers' downcast Inside Llewyn Davis, Isaac has excelled in wide-ranging fare from Nicolas Rinding Refn's Drive to Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. Usually playing unsympathetic characters, it would be no surprise if he portrayed a villainous type in Episode VII.
Max Von Sydow: Unknown
What they said
Silent as the grave
What others said
Another shock addition to the cast
What we say
An icon of the art house, the Swedish actor and Ingmar Bergman regular has never shied away from genre fare. Now 85, he is took memorable roles as Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon, as King Osric in John Milius' Conan the Barbarian and as the architect of pre-crime in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report. A fine addition to any cast, and would excel as a proud and ancient Jedi or a cruel and devious Sith.
• Meet the cast
• Everything we know about Daisy Ridley
