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'Star Wars: Episode VII' is called 'The Force Awakens'

'Star Wars: Episode VII' is called 'The Force Awakens'

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Star Wars Episode: VII finally has a subtitle: The Force Awakens. Disney quietly announced the title on Twitter this morning — a somewhat strange approach to what is easily the most anticipated film in production right now. The title feels like a very classic Star Wars name, and it manages to create that feeling even without directly mimicking a prior title. That's no surprise given that director J.J. Abrams has made it clear that Episode VII is meant to feel like an extension of the original trilogy. He's said to be leaning heavily on practical effects, and the fact that he's brought back much of the original cast should help a good deal too.

Shooting has wrapped on 'Episode VII'

Disney also confirmed reports that filming has wrapped on Episode VII. That doesn't mean it's particularly close to a release, though: the film is still scheduled for December 18th of next year. Disney still hasn't confirmed who will be writing and directing Episode VIII, though at this point Rian Johnson has made it pretty clear that reports of him taking charge are accurate. He's believed to be writing the treatment for Episode IX as well. It's not known if Abrams will have any involvement in the later movies.

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For now, we still don't know what Episode VII is actually about. What we do know is that there's going to be a new generation of characters, and it's likely that some of them will be discovering their powers here. It's possible then that the The Force Awakens refers to the Force calling upon them. It's also possible that there's something much larger at play here, with the Force changing things in a major way across the galaxy. Regardless of what happens, there's one thing clear about the title: it sounds like the beginning of something big — and that's pretty fitting for the beginning of a new epic.