Though July’s official press release issued for STAR WARS EPISODE IX revealed new additions to the cast such as Richard E. Grant (seek out his video tweet confirming his involvement, it’s adorable!), Felicity’s Keri Russell, and Naomi Ackie (Doctor Who), it appears that there are still surprising faces being added to the cast even now.

Re-joining J.J. Abrams for the first time since he helmed the pilot of his ground-breaking mystery series LOST, Dominic Monaghan (the charming junkie Charlie Pace) has now been cast in an unknown role. Our gut instinct says the former hobbit will be putting his British accent to good use as a member of The First Order, but at the moment, like the sequel’s plot itself, it’s anybody’s guess!

Though we have another 16 months until release, Star Wars fans have plenty to look forward to, with the new animated series Star Wars Resistance dropping October 7th, and the recently unveiled return on The Clone Wars launching on the upcoming Disney streaming service next year. There’s also Jon Favreau’s 10-episode, $100m budgeted, (possibly) Mandalore-set live-action TV show gearing up (though that might be a 2020 premiere admittedly), and more canonical novels and comic books than any of us could possibly afford to keep up with! It’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan!

Original Press Release:

Star Wars: Episode IX will begin filming at London’s Pinewood Studios on August 1, 2018. J.J. Abrams returns to direct the final installment of the Skywalker saga. Abrams co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Terrio.

Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. Joining the cast of Episode IX are Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Keri Russell, who will be joined by veteran Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams, who will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian.

The role of Leia Organa will once again be played by Carrie Fisher, using previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher,” says Abrams. “Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII.”

Composer John Williams, who has scored every chapter in the Star Wars saga since 1977’s A New Hope, will return to a galaxy far, far away with Episode IX.

Star Wars: Episode IX will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Michelle Rejwan, and executive produced by Callum Greene and Jason McGatlin. The crew includes Dan Mindel (Director of Photography), Rick Carter and Kevin Jenkins (Co-Production Designers), Michael Kaplan (Costume Designer), Neal Scanlan (Creature and Droid FX), Maryann Brandon and Stefan Grube (Editors), Roger Guyett (VFX Supervisor), Tommy Gormley (1st AD), and Victoria Mahoney (2nd Unit Director).

STAR WARS: EPISODE IX opens December 2019.

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