Star Wars: Episode VII gets official release date

Everyone mark your calendars!

Star Wars: Episode VII is currently set to open, in 3D, on December 18, 2015. 
This will mark the first Star Wars film to not be released in the month of May and will be the first film in the franchise to have an initial release in 3D. All previous 3D Star Wars releases have been re-releases. There is no word on whether the film will be shot in 3D or if it will be post-converted. Episode VII will share the release weekend with Universal's World of Warcraft adaptation, Warcraft.
In addition to an official release date, we have also learned the real reason J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan stepped in and replaced Michael Ardnt to finish the script. Abrams cites speed as the real reason. Arndt exited the project and was replaced in order for them to meet the deadline. Producer Kathleen Kennedy previously tried to convince Disney to push back the release until 2016, but Disney wouldn't budge and was adamant about a 2015 release. As a result, Kasdan was brought in to help speed up the process.


I personally don't mind the December release date for two reasons. First off, in order to obtain the May release date they would either have to shift The Avengers: Age of Ultron or delay Star Wars until 2016. Second, releasing in December gives a bit of a break to viewers and gives them enough time to give us a quality product. There is obviously no way in hell we would get May 2014 and I think it's fairly obvious they aren't willing to shift The Avengers, so people just need to be happy with what we have. We have an official date. Now, it could still change so I am not putting much stock in this for right now. Seeing that it is going directly against Warcraft I wouldn't be shocked to see that one shift up or down by a week. Anything going up against Star Wars is going to get demolished.
Another sidenote about this recent release date, it has caused a rift that resulted in Disney moving the release date for Tomorrowland. Originally set for release in November 2014, it will now be released on May 22, 2015 which is three weeks after The Avengers: Age of Ultron and one week before Inside Out, the next Pixar release.

Star Wars: Episode VII aiming for Christmas 2015 release

I called it.

We still don't have a completed script or any official casting information, but we do have word that Star Wars: Episode VII is looking at a production start in January 21, 2014 with a late, Christmas release in 2015. That is quite sometime after the initial reports of a summer 2015 release. That is closer to 2016 than we thought.

It was previously rumored that Disney was looking at a December release date for Episode VII, which I personally thought made sense, and this new information supports that. If they wanted a summer release date and have it be as good as it could be the film would have started production this year and not waited until January. Hell, The Avengers: Age of Ultron has and has had more wheels turning than Star Wars does which makes sense seeing that its release date is May 2015.

Like I said in a previous post, a release in late 2015 would put Star Wars in competition (to some degree) with:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Finding Dory
Kung Fu Panda 3
Inferno
Ant-Man
Bond 24

Some movies that still don't have official release dates but are aiming for 2015 are:

Avatar 2
Jurassic Park 4
Prometheus 2
Snow White and the Huntsman 2
Ratchet & Clank
Mission Impossible 5
Pitch Perfect 2


I don't know if I would necessarily bet for a Christmas day release for Episode VII, but I think anytime in December is most likely at this point. The only other option is to try and squeeze it in by Thanksgiving and put it in direct competition with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 and Finding Dory.

Star Wars: Episode VII aiming for December 2015?

Possibly.

Disney president Alan Horn basically confirmed a 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII at D23 last weekend. However, there is still no official, confirmed date. Many speculated, including myself, that the release of Episode VII will be anywhere from May to September 2015. However, new rumors are suggesting that Disney is aiming for a December 2015 release. That would put Episode VII far away from the summer blockbuster season.

Now, seeing that we don't even have a start date for production yet it is entirely possible that Episode VII might not make 2015 at all but giving themselves until December might be the best way to guarantee the deadline. Even if they are pushing it. If December does become the official date it will seriously be breaking from tradition as all six previous Star Wars films have been released in May.

It also would put it in competition with, or very close to:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Finding Dory
Kung Fu Panda 3
Inferno
Ant-Man
Bond 24

Movies set for 2015 that still are without official release dates include:

Avatar 2
Jurassic Park 4
Batman vs. Superman
Prometheus 2
Snow White and the Huntsman 2
Ratchet & Clank
Mission Impossible 5
Pitch Perfect 2

Now with that said, if they set a December 2015 release date it is very possible that it could face another major release like Avatar 2 or Jurassic Park 4. If I recall correctly Avatar came out in December of 2009. I highly doubt Batman vs. Superman would be released after summer so I don't think that's possible and I don't think Star Wars would lose to or have decent competition with a movie like Snow White or Pitch Perfect.

This is yet another thing we will just have to wait and see what happens.