STAR WARS EPISODE VII Cast Announced

Gollum and Ming the Merciless are in the same movie as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo! 

Well...sort of.

Less than a week before Star Wars Day on May the Fourth, the official Star Wars site has announced the principal cast to J.J. Abrams' Star Wars Episode VII.  And yes, the rumors were true -- Luke, Han, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 are returning.

In addition to the cast photo shown above, here's the official announcement...

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Director J.J. Abrams says, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. 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."

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

So what news will May the Fourth bring?  The movie's full title, perhaps?