As Star Wars: Episode VII continues pre-production, Lawrence Kasdan and director J.J. Abrams have assumed screenwriting duties for the film.

Lawrence Kasdan, who has been serving as a consultant on the film, is a veteran of several classic Lucasfilm productions, writing the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark and serving as co-screenwriter for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Acclaimed director and screenwriter J.J. Abrams ' credits include Super 8, Mission: Impossible III, Fringe, and Lost.

States Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy,

"I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams working on the script. There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a Star Wars story works like Larry, and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen. J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right. Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production."

Location scouting, production design, casting, and costume design are already underway on Star Wars: Episode VII. A team of gifted artists are working to bring the latest installment of the Star Wars saga, including director of photography Daniel Mindel (Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek Into Darkness), production designers Rick Carter (Lincoln, Avatar, Forrest Gump) and Darren Gilford (Oblivion, Tron: Legacy), costume designer Michael Kaplan (Star Trek Into Darkness),special effects supervisor Chris Corbould (The Dark Knight Rises), sound designer Ben Burtt (The Star Wars legacy), re-recording mixer Gary Rydstrom (Jurassic Park), supervising sound editor Matthew Wood (Star Trek Into Darkness) of Skywalker Sound, and visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett (Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith) of Industrial Light & Magic. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, with Tommy Harper (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) and Jason McGatlin (The Adventures of Tintin) serving as executive producers. John Williams is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII.

Shooting is scheduled to begin Spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios for an expected 2015 release.