Everything Currently Known About Star Wars: Episode VII

A lot of new information about the upcoming Star Wars movie has sprung up in the last few days. Luckily, I’m here to inform you about all about it!

Filming

The big news: Star Wars: Episode VII has begun filming. According to Variety, Walt Disney chairman Alan Horn let slip that the movie has begun filming. While this may refer to merely picking out filming locations, hopefully it refers to the actual filming.

“We’re actually shooting some of it now,” Horn said in a recent interview. This goes against some previous rumors that the filming wouldn’t begin until next month.

Actors

On the subject of actor selection, The Hollywood Reporter has stated that Peter Mayhew will be playing Chewbacca in the movie. The 7-foot-3 British actor played the famous Wookie in the original Star Wars movies. Mayhew took on the role as Han Solo’s hair co-pilot in the original three Star Wars movies, starting with Episode IV: A New Hope. He also played Chewbacca in the last movie, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in 2005.

According to Variety, Adam Driver, one of the stars of the HBO show Girls, is likely going to be playing the villain of the movie. Although he has not officially signed on yet, he should be sealing the deal soon.

Actors from the original movies, including Mark Hamill (Luke), Carrie Fisher (Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han) are rumored to return to their beloved roles. We also know that the feisty robot R2-D2 will me making an appearance in the film.

Director

The director is none other than J.J. Abrams. Abrams has become a big name in Hollywood, especially when it comes to sci-fi. As both the writer and director of the TV series Lost and the movie Super 8, among countless other productions, he should be more than capable of making this new Star Wars movie worthy of its predecessors.

Music

Luckily, John Williams will be returning to write the musical score. Williams wrote the music for the original Star Wars movies, as well as Harry Potter, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones, just to name a few.

Plot

While not a lot is known about the plot, it has been confirmed that the story will take place around 30 years after The Return of the Jedi movie. For those of you who have read some of the countless extended universe books, especially those by Timothy Zahn, you might have some idea what’s going to happen in the movie. For those of you who haven’t gotten a chance yet to take a look at them — you’re in for some pretty awesome surprises.

According to The Wrap, the J.J. Abrams has confirmed that the script is completed.