Ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm for an astonishing $5 billion dollars late last year and set the internet on fire with the announcement of a new STAR WARS film, the rumour mill has not stopped churning with potential information about the upcoming sequel. Since the shocking announcement confirming the continuation of the lucrative STAR WARS franchise created by George Lucas, there has been constant speculation about both casting and release dates.
As of late the most recent STAR WARS: EPISODE VII rumours have concerned the release date for the film with some claiming it may be delayed from 2015 to 2016. Well fear not as Disney and Lucasfilm have finally confirmed when we will next take a trip to a galaxy far, far away with an official announcement declaring the release date for…….December 18th 2015!, you can see the official press release below:
‘With pre-production in full-swing, a confirmed release date of December 18, 2015, has been set for Lucasfilm’s highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII.
‘We’re very excited to share the official 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII, where it will not only anchor the popular holiday filmgoing season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture,’ said Alan Horn, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.
Star Wars: Episode VII will be directed by J.J. Abrams (Super 8, Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek) and is being scripted by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, with Tommy Harper (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jack Ryan, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin,War of the Worlds) serving as executive producers. John Williams is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII.
Shooting is scheduled to begin spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios’.
Abrams also spilled the beans on the reason for Michael Arndt’s departure as the screenwriter of the project.
It became clear that given the time frame and given the process and the way the thing was going that working with Larry in this way was going to get us where we need to be and when we needed to be. Working with Michael was a wonderful experience and I couldn’t be a bigger fan of his or adore him more, He’s a wonderful guy and was incredibly helpful in the process.
Now we can finally get excited to see the return of one of the galaxies most popular franchises and hopefully get some sort of casting announcement soon too, with filming commencing spring next year I wouldn’t think we have too long to wait now. Check back with The Hollywood News for more updates on STAR WARS: EPISODE VII.
Source: StarWars.com
