“I will say that it is an infinitely better situation now than when they were saying they wanted it in the summer. Before I even came onto the project, before I was brought on, they were talking about 2015 and they made this announcement very early on. Which I understand, and I understand why they’d want that, but it didn’t necessarily have anything to do with the reality of where anyone was creatively. So I think that it’s a hugely important thing that that comes first, and that a release date is great, but you have to release something great. So to me, the new release date is a huge improvement.”
When asked if the recently-confirmed R2-D2 was in a package deal with C-3PO, Abrams jokingly replied.
“They have different agents.”
The new film will be directed by Abrams and is being scripted by Abrams and Kasdan, who previously wrote the franchise’s “Episode V,” The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, with Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The film will open in 2D and 3D theaters on December 18, 2015.
