On Nov. 6, Disney announced the continuation of two of their biggest film sagas, Star Wars and Toy Story. The major studio announced the official title of the new Star Wars: Episode VII film, “The Force Awakens.” The reveal comes as the movie, directed by J.J. Abrams of the Star Trek series, wraps up its last days of shooting at Pinewood Studios in the UK, with more post-production work to follow.
The shoot, which spanned from the deserts of Abu Dhabi to Gloucestershire, England, was heavily guarded and anything but smooth. Shooting was postponed several weeks after Harrison Ford broke his leg on set. Multiple rumors and spoiler leaks have also been circulating production.
The new film picks up three decades after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), and stars original trilogy cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), with new additions like Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o and Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie.
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens will hit theatres in December 2015.
Meanwhile, Disney and Pixar Studios have also revealed their plans for Toy Story 4, which will be directed by veteran John Lasseter, current chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, who also directed the first two films. The family film will again focus on the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the toy gang.
“We love these characters so much; they are like family to us,” Lasseter said. “We don’t want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what’s gone before.”
“Toy Story 3 ended Woody and Buzz’s story with Andy so perfectly that for a long time, we never even talked about doing another Toy Story movie. But when [writers] Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich, and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it,” he continued. “It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie—and I wanted to direct it myself.”
Other storyline details have not been released, but Lasseter noted that the film will be “a love story” that picks up right where Toy Story 3 left off.
Lasseter, Stanton, Docter, and Unkrich were all part of the original Toy Story writing team. Rashida Jones and Will McCormack will also be joining the new project, set to release in June 2017.
(With reports from ABC, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, and Associated Press)
