In the upcoming "Star Wars: Episode 7" movie, "12 Years as a Slave" star Lupita Nyong'o and "Game of Thrones" actress Gwendoline Christie have been officially announced to join the cast in the film being directed by J. J. Abrams.

"I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII," said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in an announcement on June 2. "It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape."

There were frequent rumors and reports that claimed the 31-year-old Academy Award winning actress would appear in the future film as possibly Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi's (first played by the late Sir Alec Guinness in the original trilogy, and then by Ewan McGregor in the recent prequel trilogy) long lost daughter that he probably conceived during the time he was a fugitive trying to escape certain doom from Darth Vader and the Imperial Galactic Empire.

Nyong'o won the Oscar Award for "Best Supporting Actress" for the first time in her career because of her portrayal of Patsey, a slave who was habitually raped by her slave master Edwin Epps (played by Michael Fassbender, who was also linked to possibly appearing in the next Star Wars film) in the movie that won "Best Picture" during this year's Academy Awards show.

Meanwhile, Christie is best known for her role as Brienne of Tarth, a female warrior on the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones."  In addition, she is also expected to star as Commander Lyme in the upcoming "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" film that will arrive in US movie theaters on November 21.

Nyong'o and Christie are now added to the all-star cast that consists of the original trilogy actors such as Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher(Princess Leia Organa), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) Kenny Baker (R2-D2) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), in addition to newcomers to the sci-fi franchise including Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow and Andy Serkis.

"Star Wars Episode 7" is slated to arrive in movie theaters on December 18, 2015.