Star Wars Episode VII Release Date Announced for December 18 2015

The Star Wars Episode VII release date was announced earlier today for Dec. 18, 2015.

The film will begin shooting next year and will hit theaters on that date, according to Walt Disney Studios.

"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 film going season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture," said Alan Horn, current chairman of Walt Disney Studios.

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Sci-fi- extraordinaire J.J. Abrams will handle the directing, screenwriting and production for the film with assistance from scriptwriter Lawrence Kasdan, Lucasfilm president/producer Kathleen Kennedy, and producer Bryan Burk. Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin will executive produce the sequel.

John Williams returns to craft the musical score for Episode VII.

The original cast from "Star Wars" which includes Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher could return to their roles for the new trilogy.

George Lucas, creator and former owner of the "Star Wars" franchise revealed to BusinessWeek earlier this year that he was already in talks with Hamill, Fisher and Ford to sign on for a new film before the deal with Disney was brokered.

"We had already signed Mark, Carrie and Harrison- or we were pretty much in final negotiations," he said. "So I called them to say, 'Look, this is what's going on.' Maybe I'm not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them. I won't say whether the negotiations were successful or not."

Lucas actively began developing the new trilogy before the Disney deal in order to increase its overall value. These discussions with the old cast worked as part of that strategy. He even developed treatments with screenwriters Michael Arndt and Lawrence Kasdan before agreeing to show Disney the rough outlines for Star Wars: Episode VII, VIII, and IX.