Production offices have been set up this past week at Pinewood Studios in the UK and the opening of those offices now has Lucasfilm and Disney announcing a finalized release date for Star Wars: Episode VII. We’ve had a lot of concern raised over the last few months about when it would debut since Disney CEO Bob Iger said it would definitely hit in 2015 and we’ve heard J.J. Abrams talk about how it’s going to be tight. And we have a huge amount of competition in the traditional May timeframe that all prior Star Wars films have opened in. But with the success of some late year films in the last couple of years, Disney is looking to set a December 18th, 2015 release date for the film.

“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,” said Alan Horn, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be directed by J.J. Abrams (Super 8, Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek) and is being scripted by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, with Tommy Harper (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jack Ryan, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin,War of the Worlds) serving as executive producers. John Williams is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII.

Shooting is scheduled to begin spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios.