Star Wars VII: Original cast to return in new film

THE original cast of the Star Wars saga are to be reunited for the next instalment, it has been revealed. Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker will all be in the seventh film in the series, which is about to start shooting in London.

Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford will return in the next installment. Picture: AP

The new film, which is simply entitled Star Wars: Episode VII at present, is said to be set some 30 years after the 1983 epic Return of the Jedi, which saw the death of iconic villain Darth Vader.

The confirmed cast announced by Disney and Lucasfilm, the two Hollywood giants joining forces for the production, includes Max von Sydow, the veteran actor best known for his iconic role as Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon, and Lord of the Rings and Hobbit star Andy Serkis.

Also in the line-up are British actors John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, Irish actor Domnhall Glesson, from the final two Harry Potter films, and American actor Adam Driver, who is reported to have been lined up to play the new villain.

The new cast pictured today. Picture: Disney

JJ Abrams, the film’s director, who was behind the hugely-successful reboot of the Star Trek films, said: “We are so excited to finally share the cast.

“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.”