Source: Official Star Wars Website | Posted By: Dan Geer
Star Wars fans have been speculating for months now just when J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII will be released. When Disney first acquired Lucasfilm and announced there will be new Star Wars films, a 2015 release was planned for Episode VII, but no release date was given. Initially, most fans expected a Spring/Summer release, as every other Star Wars film has been released in May. But, as more time passed with reportedly nothing happening beyond the writing stage (and endless casting auditions/rumors), and the film’s shooting schedule being officially set for a Spring 2014 start date, people really started to wonder whether a Summer release was realistic.
Then, after Lucasfilm revealed that writer Michael Arndt was off the project and replaced by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, it seemed by many that it was inevitable that the release of the film would be delayed to no sooner than December 2015. THR even reported that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy lobbied for a 2016 release to allow Abrams and company more time to create a satisfying film, but that Disney CEO Bog Iger was adamant on a 2015 release. Well, today the dust has finally settled. Disney/Lucasfilm has finally announced that Star Wars: Episode VII is set to open on December 18th, 2015.
So, almost 2016. Read on for the official press release!
Via The Official Star Wars Website:
Star Wars: Episode VII to Open December 18, 2015
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.
Just to blow off some steam, it needs to be said that the whole “fiasco” about changing writers in the middle of pre-production is nothing new to the process of creating a film. It’s not a fiasco. It’s something that occurs quite frequently in the film business, and wouldn’t normally cause a stir amongst anyone had this film been released in the days before the internet. But because this is Star Wars, and because bloggers post everything, a news bit like a film switching writers seems like a big deal, when it really isn’t.
People, let’s just not sweat the small stuff, okay?
