STAR WARS EPISODE VII To Ring In The Holidays With Winter 2015 Release Date

The residents of a galaxy far, far away are going to need to make sure that they have a warm coat and plenty of hot chocolate. After months of speculation and rumors, we finally have some concrete news about when we’ll see Star Wars Episode VII. In a press release from Lucasfilm, it is revealed that the upcoming movie will be released on December 18, 2015. Here’s the statement 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.

For those who don’t know, this will be the first theatrical Star Wars film to not be released during the summer. All six of the live-action films were released in May, and the 2008 Clone Wars animated film was released in August.

Given the recent news regarding J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan taking over script writing duties, it makes sense that they pushed the film back a couple months, although from a marketing standpoint it’s a brilliant move. There’s less competition for blockbusters during the winter, although let’s be honest, this film is going to rake in millions regardless of when it’s released. This just assures it more money.

So, if this movie is being released in the winter, does this mean we’ll see more action on Hoth? We saw plenty of Tatoonie during the summer. Just saying…

SOURCE: Starwars.com