The rumors surrounding the plot, and cast, of the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII are more abundant than anything you may come across. As the film gets closer to production, the fans continue to want answers as to what to expect.

Several actors have been in talks for major roles, and whether or not the main cast members will return is still up in the air. A couple of things were revealed recently that may intrigue some fans of the original trilogy, or at least give people some insight into the new film.

The new film is being directed by J.J. Abrams, and will be presented by Lucasfilm and Disney. The studios announced today that initial shooting of the film is set to begin in May, which will be just in time to get it done by its current release date.

J.J. Abrams has been fairly secretive when it comes to details about the film, but details are slowly starting to emerge. In addition to the production date, the filmmakers revealed that Star Wars Episode VII will be taking place 30 years after the events of Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi.

I like the symmetry of Star Wars Episode VII being set 30 years after Jedi, and released 30 years after Disney announced it.

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) March 18, 2014

The film has been delayed multiple times for various reasons, including the original screenwriter Michael Arndt leaving, and later being replaced by Lawrence Kasdan, who worked on the original trilogy. It is finally been given an official release date, and is set for a December 18, 2015 release.

In terms of casting, the film may have finally found its villain with Adam Driver, who is set to play a Darth Vader-like character. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher have all given some sort of commitment to the film, but nothing is official from any of them yet.

According to Disney Chief Bob Iger, “Rumor has it that almost every actor in the world has been cast in this movie, but so far, the official cast member that we’ve confirmed, the only one, is R2D2. Played by R2D2.” He also said that from the concept art, it looks amazing, but he would get into trouble if he revealed anything more.

After that statement, fans are left with basically nothing, and will have to keep guessing about who they will see in the upcoming film. The lead role of the Jedi is certainly the one that people are most curious about, and the choices were recently narrowed down to a handful of unknown actors.

However as most people probably remember, nobody knew who Harrison Ford was at the time of his casting as Han Solo either. There is a handful of actors that are left for the lead role in Star Wars Episode VII, a list that includes Jesse Plemons from Breaking Bad, Ed Speelers from Downton Abbey, John Boyega from Attack The Block, and theater actors Matthew James Thomas and Ray Fisher.

With over a year to go, anything can still happen in terms of casting, and what will eventually be revealed about the plot of the film. If J.J Abrams has been able to keep the plot of Star Wars Episode VII a secret for this long, then perhaps fans will be in the dark until it premieres.

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