'Star Wars: Episode VII' Begins Filming

According to Alan Horn, chairman of Disney Studios, "Star Wars: Episode VII" is already in production, even though casting for the film is "not completely done yet." Horn said last week in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that most of the film's major roles have been filled and that, after some tweaking, the script is finished.

The film, which is scheduled to open in December of 2015 and is set about 35 years after the events depicted in "Return of the Jedi," is still mostly shrouded in mystery. Reports say that the screenplay that was originally written by Michael Arndt has been largely rewritten by director J.J. Abrams and "Jedi" and "Empire Strikes Back" writer Lawrence Kasdan, possibly in an attempt to more fully integrate characters from episodes IV-VI.

Casting for the film's major roles as been a closely held secret, too. It's assumed that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford will reprise the roles of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo, but there's no official word on who will play any of the film's new lead characters. Rumors have suggested that Adam Driver ("Girls") will play a villain in the film, and other high-profile names, including Lupita Nyong-o ("12 Years a Slave"), Jesse Plemmons ("Breaking Bad") and Saoirse Ronan ("The Lovely Bones"), have at least met with producers in connection with the film. Variety has reported that the actors most likely to get lead roles include Plemmons, Ed Speleers ("Downtown Abbey"), John Boyega, Matthew James Thomas and Ray Fisher.