Star Wars: Episode VII: Slate Photo Hits The Net

Using the Twitter account for Bad Robot Productions director J.J. Abrams has released the first on set pic for "Star Wars: Episode VII". And just like that he has already posted more from this film than he did from the set of Star Trek Into Darkness--(Tom Snickers)...

#dayone pic.twitter.com/18jtSH7xYM
— Bad Robot (@bad_robot) May 16, 2014

Original Trilogy stars Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker Harrison Ford as Han Solo  and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Peter Mayhew playing the legendary Wookiee Chewbacca, and Kenny Baker as Astro droid R2 D2 will be back.

Franchise creator George Lucas told Bloomberg Businessweek that he begun talks with original stars to have them return to for its new films -- before he had even begun the process of the ultimately $2 billion deal and sale. It's been said that Lucas' actually spent about a year planning the franchise's future before handing the reigns of Lucasfilm over to Disney.

The new cast members are John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and  Max von Sydow as a villain character.

There is at least one more major female role left to fill and it has been suggested Ridley is playing the daughter of Han and Leia. That would suggest the female role yet to be cast is the one rumored to be a mixed-race descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi - a role  12 Years a Slave Best Supporting Actress Lupita Nyong'o was linked to.

A report at Latino Review claims that there are two major female roles left that have yet to be announced, one of which has gone to the previously rumored Maisie Richardson-Sellers. The actress has reportedly been spotted around the production. The other has been linked to a fresh face -  "Fish Tank" star Katie Jarvis.

Disney/Lucasfilm haven't revealed any character details at all however, so which of the newcomers is playing which roles is all speculation at this point.

 Abrams wrote the script with Lawrence Kasdan for the film. Oscar winner Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3," "Little Miss Sunshine") vacated his job scripting the next film--after disagreements over which characters the film will focus on.

Kasdan ("The Empire Strikes Back," "Raiders of the Lost Ark") and Simon Kinberg ("Sherlock Holmes," "X-Men: Days of Future Past")have reportedly closed deals to pen the final two installments of the new "Star Wars" trilogy. Kasdan and Kinberg are also indeed writing the stand alone/origin Star Wars features. Company CEO Robert A. Iger recently revealed that the studio has three features in the works - not two as previously indicated.

The plan is to have each of these films come out in the years when we don't see a new episode of the saga - They would come out in 2016, 2018 and 2020. We still don't know which characters these spin-offs will focus on. Current franchise chief, Kathleen Kennedy spoke to Yahoo about the stand-alone films saying that they will NOT affect the main narrative of the Episodes.

The series MVP composer John Williams is set to score Episode VII, Episode VIII and Episode IX.

Kasdan and Kinberg would also join the projects as producers with Kennedy.

Things kicked off in Abu Dhabi. Shooting will continue there through until the end of the month--the country is standing in for the planet of Tatooine in the film.

Production will also take place through September at Pinewood Studio in England.

The film has a confirmed release date of December 18, 2015.