Walt Disney Co. has just given an update on the new "Star Wars Episode 7," confirming that the story line will be set 30 years after the last series, "Episode 6: The Return of the Jedi."
In a distant galaxy, far far away --- Producers of the new Star Wars trilogy is about to present the most-anticipated sci-fi movie of all time. In fact, it's already just around the corner and shooting of the film is about to start on May 2014.
Walt Disney Co.'s chief executive officer Bob Iger said on Tuesday at the company's annual shareholders meeting, that the next installment of the "Star Wars" franchise will be set 30 years after "The Return of the Jedi."
There was no casting news, except for the confirmation that robot R2D2 will indeed be reprising his role.
This is what we know so far, according to entertainment website MTV:
30 Years After "Return of the Jedi"
It was something that many fans just took as a given, but we now know for sure that the storytelling frame has jump forward in real time. The best part of this news is probably that there won't be any (or much) terrible aging making Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford backward or forward — if they actually appear, that is. Their children are said to be the focus of the story, and based on the casting lists so far, the 30-year leap forward works with that theory.
A Trio of Young Leads
That's right. There will be three new, young characters at the center of this trilogy, in addition to whoever comes back from Episodes IV, V and VI. Rumors have swirled for over a year on whether some of the franchise's stars, including Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, would return. Trade magazines have reported that rising stars including Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o and "Girls" actor Adam Driver were being considered.
May 2014
An official blog post on StarWars.com locked down May as the month that J.J. Abrams will begin shooting "Episode VII," and it's about time. The clock is ticking, and December 2015 is only getting closer. The big takeaway from the start date is that we know to expect a lot of "Star Wars" news in the next two months.
"Star Wars: Episode VII" opens in theaters on December 18, 2015.