Star Wars Episode VII gets December 2015 release date

Fans of George Lucas's interstellar galaxy adventure saga can rejoice, for a release date is finally at hand for the next installment of Star Wars.

As announced by Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Pictures on the official Star Wars website, fans will get to see the much-anticipated “Episode VII” on December 18, 2015.

Currently in pre-production and scheduled to shoot in the spring of 2014 in Pinewood Studios, the newest chapter of the popular science fiction franchise will be directed by J.J Abrams of “Mission Impossible III” and “Star Trek” movies fame.

As a fan of the series himself, the director will also be co-writing the screenplay alongside veteran Star Wars scriptwriter Lawrence Kasdan, who has worked on “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return Of The Jedi.” Screenwriter Michael Arndt of Toy Story 3 fame was hired to write the screenplay, but was announced as no longer being attached to the film just the past month.

Not based on any previous material from the “Expanded Universe,” Episode VII will be the first new Star Wars film in ten years since the release of the last of the prequel trilogy in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The movie was commissioned as the first of three new Star Wars films, announced following the purchase of Lucasfilm Ltd. by The Walt Disney Company on October 30 last year.

Dubbed as the “sequel trilogy,” this new trio will take place sometime after the events of Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi, and will feature an original story that kicks off a new saga for the space adventure franchise. Lucas is on board as a creative consultant.

During pre-production of the film, it was revealed that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford were in negotiations to possibly return and reprise their roles as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, and Han Solo, respectively. While no  official confirmation has been given out, many fans are hopeful for the return of the original trilogy’s heroic trio in some form, if only to “pass the torch” onto the new protagonists of the sequels.  

At this point, the film is still in the developmental stages, and one can only wonder what the future holds for those living in a galaxy far, far away. — VC, GMA News