Star Wars Episode 7: Episode VII Confirmed Set 30 Years After Episode VI, Filming to Start in May

Disney and Lucasfilm announced on March 17 that filming of Star Wars: Episode VII will start in May 2014.

Director J.J. Abrams will begin principal photography at London’s Pinewood Studios.

This will be the first Star Wars episode to be filmed in May.

Star Wars: Episode VII is confirmed to be set about 30 years after the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

According to Starwars.com, Episode VII will “star a trio of new young leads along with some very familiar faces.”

HBO Girls star Adam Driver is confirmed to play the role of the new villain. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o has been linked with the film.

This is the first Star Wars episode to begin filming in May.

Here is how the first day of principle photography went for the previous films:

- March 22, 1976 -- The first day of principal photography in Tozeur, Tunisia, for Star Wars. A crew of 130 ventures into the desert in 42 trucks and cars, including eight army trucks full of equipment. The first shot was completed at 9:35 a.m.

- March 5, 1979 -- The first day of principal photography in Finse, Norway, for The Empire Strikes Back. The crew endures the subzero temperatures, frostbite, heavy winds, and avalanches to pull off the first shot within 65 minutes of setup.

- January 11, 1982 -- The first day of principal photography at EMI Elstree Studios outside of London for Return of the Jedi. Although inside a studio, the set must weather a sandstorm in a scene that would ultimately be cut from the film.

- June 26, 1997 -- The first day of principal photography at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, England, for The Phantom Menace. Ending a long absence from the director’s chair, George Lucas shoots a sequence in a bluescreen-lined set with actors Ian McDiarmid and Ray Park.

- June 26, 2000 -- The first day of principal photography for Attack of the Clones at Fox Studios Australia. In their new home Down Under, the production crew once again photographs actor Ian McDiarmid three years to the day after Episode I started shooting.

- June 30, 2003 -- The first day of principal photography for Revenge of the Sith at Fox Studios Australia. The first scenes shot feature Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, respectively, along with R2-D2.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be out in theaters on December 18, 2015.