The much-anticipated next installment of the Star Wars franchise, "Star Wars: Episode VII," will be filmed in the U.K., Lucas Films Ltd. has announced.
The company, now owned by Disney, made the announcement Friday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "Star Wars: Episode VII" is scheduled for a 2015 release and will be directed by J.J. Abrams with screenplay written by "Toy Story 3" writer Michael Arndt.
Production will start in 2014, according to The Guardian. Scenes from all six previous Star Wars movies have also been filmed in the U.K.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, based on a statement from Lucas Films Ltd. President Kathleen Kennedy, stating her long-honored ties to the region.
"Speaking from my own longstanding connection to the U.K. with films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun and recently War Horse, it's very exciting to be heading back," she said.
Kennedy addressed the commitment to keep the films consistent, even amongst changes.
"We've devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of Star Wars as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I'm thrilled that returning to the UK for production and utilising the incredible talent there can be a part of that."
The Star Wars film series, spawned by director George Lucas, was first launched in 1977. The now multi-billion dollar franchise includes toys, books and animated television series spin-offs. Disney and video game giant EA Sports recently announced their collaboration to produce a new line of video games for the series.
