John Boyega
Who We think He's Playing : A Jedi apprentice to Luke's Obi-Wan style Jedi Master.
Why: He's already demonstrated his heroic capabilities in Joe Cornish's popular Attack The Block , wielding a samurai sword to take down alien baddies.
Chuck some neon on that sword, and he's already a Jedi. And his Block character's complex arc would suit the Star Wars universe - which path will he ultimately choose?
And before you hit the comments to say 'But he's obviously playing Lando's son!' Possibly - there's a chance the film will open with Lando's death / funeral (Billy Dee Williams isn't in that big cast shot, so presumably he doesn't have a major part to play), with Luke taking Boyega in to look after him, before noticing the force is strong with him, and training him up to be a Jedi.
Or maybe he's his own character without baggage / heritage. Imagine it!
Daisy Ridley
Who We Think She's Playing: Han and Leia's daughter - with a perfect combination of their characters; cocky, spiky and strong with the force.
Why: For one thing, Ridley's sat between mum and dad in that announcement shot, deep in conversation with Carrie Fisher - presumably discussing their characters' connection.
Also, Daisy looks a hell of a lot like Keira Knightley, who looked so much like Natalie Portman in Episode 1 she played her double. So it appears that Daisy's inherited her grandmum's looks.
To be honest, we don't have much else to go on - she's as close to an unknown as it gets in this kind of film.
Good for her, we can't wait to see what she can do.
Domhnall Gleeson
Who We Think He's Playing: It's a toss-up between Luke's son, and a central android.
Why: Look at him, just look at him. Ex- Harry Potte r star Gleeson looks so much like Mark Hamill, we wouldn't be surprised if his mum was on the set of Return Of The Jedi.
However, he's also demonstrated the ability to play a cool / eerie robot in a superb episode of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirro r, so if they're casting a mate for C3P0 and R2D2 - love triangle, anyone? - he'd be a good fit.
Whoever he's playing, we're bloody glad he's in it. He's a fantastic actor, and a lovely dude.
Oscar Isaac
Who We Think He's Playing: A Han Solo-alike, and a love interest for Daisy Ridley.
Why: Let's face it, Han Solo is a bit of a dick. The most charismatic and likable dick in the universe, but still not the sort of person you'd want to bring home to mum. Because he'd probably have sex with her / smuggle her porcelain collection in 12 parsecs.
And as anyone who's seen Inside Llewyn Davis will attest, Oscar Isaac plays likable dicks like no other actor on the scene at the moment.
Some psychologists will tell you that women can go for men who remind them of their fathers. So, we bet 100 Galactic Credits he'll be a love interest for Daisy. If she's playing Han and Leia's daughter. Which she is.
Andy Serkis
Who We Think He's Playing: Pretty much everyone except the people in that picture.
Why: Andy Serkis is this generation's Frank Oz, bringing heart, soul and life to characters that would be mere puppets in the hands (body?) of anyone else.
Seriously, he is one of the best actors on an already superb cast list, and we were pretty giddy when we saw Serkis' name written down.
Like Oz, we see Andy playing multiple characters in JJ's trilogy. In Lord Of The Rings he played multiple orcs, the Witch-King Of Angmar, as well as Gollum (and Smeagol - in human form).
And let's not forget that he was a second-unit director for Peter Jackson in the Hobbit trilogy. Episode VII 's CGI is in safe hands (body?).
Max von Sydow
Who We Think He's Playing: Always two there are, a master and an apprentice. If von Sydow's not playing a Sith Lord, we'll eat our Gungan.
Why: We already know Adam Driver is playing a 'Darth Vader style villain,' which means he'll be a baddie with a master. And seeing as Sith masters are traditionally combinations of Ming The Merciless and Death, we'd say the man who played them both is a fairly good fit.
Flash Gordon and SF serials like it were huge influences on Lucas when he was crafting this universe, it's cool that von Sydow's casting could be seen as a nod to that heritage.
The Original Cast
Who We Think They're Playing: That's not the question we should be asking.
Why: We already know who Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker will be playing - but what version of Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C3P0 will we be seeing in 2015?
One thing's for sure, they'll have nothing to do with the Expanded Universe versions of the characters, those stories have been rebranded 'Legends' and shoved out of canon, in order to give JJ and his team complete creative freedom.
So, how they'll appear in JJ's universe is as much guess-work as everyone else on this list.
We can almost guarantee that Hamill's Luke will be heavily influenced by Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan - we're so certain that's the kind of character he'll be. Han will be as world-weary as ever - it's what Harrison Ford does best, whether he's acting or being asked about Star Wars.
Carrie Fisher's older Leia will retain the dry wit she's famous for. Chewbacca will have a patch of grey-fur, but probably not a family of his own (Unless this really is going to be a Holiday Special reboot).
As for C3P0 and R2D2, they're going to be exactly the same characters they've always been, which no changes whatsoever.
If it ain't malfunctioning…
JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan
Who They'll Be Playing: Gods.
Why: Kasdan wrote what many fans think is the greatest Star Wars film of all time - Empire Strikes Back . JJ Abrams successfully rebooted Star Trek, mainly by making it like more like Star Wars.
They are the very best people to make this series.
If we didn't already know that, yesterday's casting news confirmed it. Star Wars: Episode VII will be populated with interesting, cool, and talented people - some of whom many will be seeing for the very first time.
These guys are making the right decisions. We can't wait to sit down in our cinema seats, waiting for THAT music to kick in, ready to watch the finished film with a big old giddy grin on our gobs.
