To the excitement of the millions of Star Wars diehards, the future Episode VII now has an official release date, as the future mega-flick is set to open up on December 18, 2015.

On Nov. 7, the grandiose announcement was made on the Star Wars website and read the following:

"We're very excited to share the official 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII, where it will not only anchor the popular holiday filmgoing season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture," stated Alan Horn, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

It was reported in October that director JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan were taking over the screenwriting duties from Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt.

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Interestingly enough, all of the six prior Star Wars flicks have had pre-summer release dates in the U.S. and were shot in British studios, which include Pinewood Studios, Elstree, Shepperton, and Ealing.

The popular franchise has racked up $4.4 billion across the globe over the past 35 years, and "will not only anchor the popular holiday filmgoing season," but its later release date will "ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture," Horn added.

Star Wars: Episode VII is set to begin filming in the spring of 2014 at Pinewood Studios in London. Be sure to keep checking back for more details.

Tags: Star Wars Episode VII Movies