It sounds like three familiar faces will soon be returning to a galaxy far, far away! Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford — who played Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy — are expected to return for Lucasfilm’s upcoming continuation of the series after creator George Lucas spilled the beans in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek.

‘Star Wars Episode VII’ Cast: Did George Lucas Say Too Much?

“We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison — or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation,” he said, immediately realizing he might have said too much. “Maybe I’m not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them. … I won’t say whether the negotiations were successful or not.”

(Yeah, OK, like they weren’t successful.)

What Will ‘Star Wars Episode VII’ Be About?

That’s a really good question. Unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t really have an answer for you. But we do have details about the movie’s release! We can expect Star Wars Episode VII to hit theaters in 2015 — and it’s far from the final installment.

“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” George said in a statement. “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime.”

HollywoodLifers, are you excited to see Mark, Carrie and Harrison reprise their iconic Star Wars characters? Drop a comment with your expectations for the new movies!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Star Wars news on HollywoodLife.com:

1. ‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ Announced
2. J.J. Abrams & Jon Favreau Both Thrilled About ‘Star Wars Episode 7′
3. Samuel L. Jackson On A Return To ‘Star Wars’: ‘Looking Forward To That’

While he’s currently working on the Star Trek sequel, J.J. Abrams has been persuaded to take on one of the biggest movie franchises of all time – Star Wars! HollywoodLife.com’s sister site Deadline.com says that the newly-announced Star Wars: Episode VII is now in J.J.’s hands, according to a statement released by Lucasfilms. Is it a good idea?

The Official Press Release

“It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”

George Lucas went on to say “I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”

J.J. Abrams Didn’t Want To Direct The New ‘Star Wars’ Film — At First!

When HollywoodLife.com talked to J.J. at the Veterans Day 2012: Celebrating Leadership and Service event, hosted at Universal Studios on Nov. 9, he said that he wasn’t going to work with the franchise. “Look, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies of all time,” he told us. “I frankly feel that – I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big Star Trek fan growing up, so for me, working on Star Trek didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege, and so, I am looking forward more than anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars, but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer!”

It looks like George and Disney did a good job at persuading J.J. to change his mind!

Star Wars: Episode VII is expected in 2015, and was announced as part of The Walt Disney Co.’s $4.05 billion purchase of Lucasfilm in October.

So, HollywoodLifers, are you all excited that J.J. is directing the next Star Wars? Sound off below!

WATCH: JJ Abrams Directing ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’!

— Chris Rogers, Reporting by Russ Weakland

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@ChrisRogers86
More ‘Star Wars’ News:

1. ‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ Announced
2. Russ Says: ‘The Twilight Saga’ Is This Century’s ‘Star Wars!’
3. Kim Kardashian V. Jennifer Aniston — Who Makes A Sexier Princess Leia?

While he’s currently working on Star Trek, and doing quite a tremendous job with it, J.J. Abrams has reportedly been tapped to take on one of the biggest movie franchises of all time, Star Wars! A new report from our sister site Deadline.com says that the newly-announced Star Wars: Episode 7 is now in J.J.’s hands. Is it a good idea?

Deadline received confirmation from a source close to the situation. “It’s done deal with J.J.,” their source said.  The report also reveals that Ben Affleck had been a contender for the job, as well!

J.J. Abrams Didn’t Want To Direct The New ‘Star Wars’ Film!

When HollywoodLife.com talked to J.J. at the Veterans Day 2012: Celebrating Leadership and Service event, hosted at Universal Studios on Nov. 9, he said that he wasn’t going to work with the franchise. “Look, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies of all time,” he told us. “I frankly feel that – I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big Star Trek fan growing up, so for me, working on Star Trek didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege, and so, I am looking forward more then anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars, but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer!”

So, HollywoodLifers, are you all excited that J.J. is directing the next Star Wars? Sound off below!

WATCH: JJ Abrams Directing Star Wars 7!

Russ Weakland

Follow @mrsandwich96

For More Star Wars News:

1. ‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ Announced
2. Russ Says: ‘The Twilight Saga’ Is This Century’s ‘Star Wars!’
3. Kim Kardashian V. Jennifer Aniston — Who Makes A Sexier Princess Leia?

During the Veterans Day 2012: Celebrating Leadership and Service event, hosted at Universal Studios on Nov. 9 by national veterans nonprofit, The Mission Continues, alongside the Got Your 6 campaign, HollywoodLife.com got to talk EXCLUSIVELY to two amazing filmmakers rumored to be top picks to direct the next Star Wars films. J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau both had different opinions on the possibility to go to a galaxy far far away!

J.J. Abrams on ‘Star Wars Episode 7′

“Look, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies of all time,” J.J. gushed. He added, “I frankly feel that – I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big Star Trek fan growing up, so for me, working on Star Trek didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege, and so, I am looking forward more then anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars, but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer!”

Jon Favreau is Less Squeamish About ‘Star Wars’

But Jon appeared to be a little more interested in sitting in the director’s chair, saying, “I think both J.J. and I come from a generation of people who formed our whole creative persona around what we experienced as kids from watching those films, and I have had the good fortune of working with George [Lucas] and around George, and whether it is doing a voice on Clone Wars, or being at the Skywalker Ranch mixing Iron Man – so I have been very happy and lucky to just experience the culture that Lucas has created, both in my own life growing up as a kid and professional – whether it was interviewing him at film festivals on stage, he is just a really wonderful, talented gifted guy who has changed the business so much, so I am just giddy, first and foremost as a fan, to see what happens with it. I think there is a lot of question marks of how they are going to do it, and who they are going to do it with, and what the story is going to be about; but to say that I am not excited about it is definitely an understatement. We’ll see.”

So HollywoodLifers, who would you rather see direct the next Star Wars movie? Sound off below!

Russ Weakland

Follow @mrsandwich96
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For More Star Wars News:

1. ‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ Announced
2. Russ Says: ‘The Twilight Saga’ Is This Century’s ‘Star Wars!’
3. Kim Kardashian V. Jennifer Aniston — Who Makes A Sexier Princess Leia?

Regardless of how we all feel about the latest Star Wars films and all the awful thoughts of Jar Jar Binks, the legendary series has a place in all of our hearts. Now Disney and Lucasfilm are continuing the franchise with an announced Episode 7 which is maybe the biggest surprise and well kept secret in the history of film!

Disney has completed the purchase of Lucasfilm and in the press release a very interesting nugget of information has been released that will make fanboys be giddy in anticipation as it mentions, “[New Lucasfilm president Kathleen] Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.”

George added, “For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next. It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.”

One thing to note, a film of this magnitude will get the entire A-List community out in droves, as everyone will want to be a part of the franchise that has defined generations. So it will be very interesting to see if HollywoodLife favorites Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart would be a part of such an amazing film. Only time will tell.

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So HollywoodLifers, are you excited for another Star Wars film?

Russ Weakland

Follow @mrsandwich96