Star Wars: Episode VII - production update
Like its six predecessors, the new film Star Wars: Episode VII, will shoot in the UK – welcome news to the British film industry. The Knowledge has spoken to the UK UPM (further details on Production Intelligence) on the behemoth project, who tells us principal photography gets underway early next year with studios still to be confirmed.
An agreement was reached to produce the latest instalment in the UK, following meetings earlier this year between representatives from Lucasfilm and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
"We've devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of 'Star Wars' as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I'm thrilled that returning to the UK for production and utilising the incredible talent there can be a part of that," president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, said in a statement.
Osborne, who earlier had confirmed tax rebates and other incentives, said: "I am delighted that Star Wars is coming back to Britain. Today's announcement that the next Star Wars film will be shot and produced in the UK is great news for fans and our creative industries." said .
Adrian Wootton, chief executive of the British Film Commission and Film London said: “The British Film Commission, alongside government and our industry colleagues have worked hard to make sure this project came to the UK and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with Lucasfilm throughout the production so they can utilise everything the UK has to offer."
All previous six Star Wars film were partially filmed in the UK, with production taking place at the big studios, including Pinewood, Elstree, Shepperton, Leavesden and Ealing.
The announcement of a new the Star Wars film will be no surprise for fans - back in October 2012 Disney announced the new set of films when it took over Lucasfilm for over $4bn.
The new film will be directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Michael Arndt and is scheduled to be released in 2015.
Further information and regular production updates on Star Wars: Episode VII can be found on Production Intelligence, the online database of advance productions from The Knowledge:
