After months of speculation surrounding script problems, delays, in-house arguing, plotlines, spin-offs and possible role reprisals, another rare piece of concrete news has emerged from the Star Wars Episode VII camp.

Harrison FordHarrison Ford is remaining coy over a 'Star Wars' return

Yes, that’s right: Disney have given us a release date of December 18, 2015, meaning J.J. Abrams and Barbara Broccoli have just over two years to get the most anticipated film of all time made, and get it right.

“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, in a statement posted on StarWars.com.

Turn up an audition for Star Wars Episode VII, you never know!

The news comes after a week of conjecture and hearsay in proximity to the movie. Filming was ‘confirmed’ to be going ahead despite numerous scripting issues, and word was that both Abrams and producer Broccoli were haggling for an extension on their homework to get it done properly.

One of the biggest shakeups involved the writing team, and this wasn’t just hearsay – this happened. Director Abrams, alongside Lawrence Kasdan took over writing duties from Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt, which was part of the thinking behind a 2015 deadline.

JJ AbramsGeorge Lucas
Jj Abrams will direct, while George Lucas's beloved film franchise is in other people's hands

“It became clear that given the time frame and given the process and the way the thing was going that working with Larry in this way was going to get us where we need to be and when we needed to be,” Abrams told Deadline.

So we’ve got writers, a release date of Winter 2015, and a filming date, which is spring 2014 date, which means all we need to do is find out who’s going to be in the film. A recent casting call was put out by Disney to find two leads – one male, one female – for what appears to be Episode VII, but that’s unconfirmed.