There had been many conflicting rumors of deals and negotiations for months along with hints by the actors themselves. But it wasn't until series creator George Lucas let slip in an interview that they were lined up for the new film that it was somewhat officially confirmed. It makes sense in a way that this had been a done deal a while ago, otherwise why would Disney risk rebooting the series without it's key players on board? That would have been messy and simply bad movie business to boot.
Anyway, I'm excited to see that they will all be back. I only wonder what has happened to their fictional selves in the intervening 30 plus years since Episode VII. Will there be allusions to Fisher's real life dramas with addiction? Will there be in-jokes about Ford becoming a blockbuster star in his own right? I do hope that there will be some humor this time out, something that was sorely lacking in the prequels which seemed so disconnected from the fun-loving nature of the first STAR WARS that I loved as a kid esepcially for that reason. That and all the cool gadgets and spaceships.
