Disney and LucasFilm will release “Star Wars: Episode VII” on Dec. 18, 2015, the duo announced Thursday.
As a lead-up to Christmas, the mid-December launch pad has been occupied by New Line’s “The Hobbit” franchise since 2012, with the final installment, “There and Back Again,” slated to bow Dec. 17, 2014
The J.J. Abrams-directed “Star Wars” will begin shooting in Spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios in the U.K.
Casting for the film already is underway in secret, with open call appointments in the U.K. set for this month.
