First Look: Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong’o, and Oscar Isaac on the Set of The Force Awakens

The force may not be awakening until December, but thanks to Annie Leibovitz and Vanity Fair, Star Wars fans will get a nice preview six months early. The renowned photographer was allowed onto the secretive set of The Force Awakens in the U.K. and gives us a peek at some of the main characters in-costume. Among them are Adam Driver as antagonist Kylo Ren (that guy with the three-pronged lightsaber), Lupita Nyong'o in motion-capturing equipment for her role as the CGI'ed Maz Kanata, a space pirate whose castle is a place that "galactic travelers, smugglers, and other assorted riffraff" congregate, and Oscar Isaac as Resistance pilot Poe Dameron.

It was hard to imagine Episode VII out-hyping itself after its latest trailer gave us our first glimpse of Harrison Ford reprising his role as Han Solo, but Vanity Fair's set photos and behind the scenes video are making a valiant effort.

Watch the behind the scenes video below and see the full slideshow of Leibovitz's photos here.