Benicio del Torro is one of the new cast members for Star Wars Episode VIII which as begun filming in London.

Laura Dern and newbie Kelly Marie Tran have also been announced on the space opera's official Facebook page but no details about their roles were released.

A clip introducing new director Rian Johnson, who replaces JJ Abrams, accompanied the post.

The 30-second teaser shows the first meeting of Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamil) on the planet of Ahch-To, with Rey offering the Jedi his old lightsaber.

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The post reads:

Del Toro is best known for his roles in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Guy Ritchie's Snatch and is expected to play a baddie in the new movie.

Dern is perhaps most famous for her role as Dr. Ellie Sattler in 1993's Jurassic Park and her recent Oscar-nominated turn playing Bobbi, the mother of Reese Witherspoon's character in Wild.

They will be joined by relative newcomer Tran, who has appeared in a number of CollegeHumour videos and small roles in TV series like About A Boy.

Director Johnson is credited as a writer on the new film alongside George Lucas