Return of Star Wars, with two new Brits
FOR avid Star Wars fans, the latest film’s release may still seem far, far away.
But these pictures from the set of the seventh movie show what they have to look forward to, with some familiar faces alongside a couple of new hopes.
John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, both 23, will star with Harrison Ford, 72, in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. Ford reprises the role of Han Solo.
The film is a huge break for both actors, who are relatively new to the big screen.
London-born Miss Ridley has had small parts in Casualty, Mr Selfridge and Silent Witness, but this is her first major film role.
Details of her character Rey have not been disclosed, but it is believed she stars as the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia, originally played by Carrie Fisher.
She is expected to appear as the lead female in the eighth and ninth episodes, a sure sign that she has a significant role in the franchise.
Miss Ridley attended Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and her great-uncle Arnold Ridley played Private Charles Godfrey in the classic TV comedy Dad’s Army.
Boyega, from Peckham in London, will play Finn, a stormtrooper stranded on the desert planet of Jakku. He trained at the Identity Drama School in East London and went on to appear in the play Six Parties at the National Theatre and in American TV action series 24.
The pictures, by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair magazine, show Ford, Ridley and Boyega joined by Chewbacca on board the Millennium Falcon. Original stars Mark Hamill – playing Luke Skywalker – and Miss Fisher will also return in the film, which is due for release in December.
June’s issue of Vanity Fair will be on sale from Friday.