According to Star Wars: The Force Awakens screenwriters J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, they didn't turn to the Star Wars expanded universe to develop ideas for the new film. There had some speculation that the new film would draw inspiration from the now-non-canon EU, but Kasdan said at the Force Awakens press conference that he and Abrams were simply inspired by what excited them.

When asked if developing the story for Force Awakens had more to do with the events of the EU or what happened at the end of Return of the Jedi, Kasdan said, "I think it had more to do with Jedi and the continuation of 4, 5 and 6. This is 7. We were aware, we were respectful of the canon, but we really wanted to tell a story that interested us and delighted us. We didn't really want any rules and parameters.

"We said, if we could do anything with this story, what would be the most fun thing to do on this page and the next page and the page after that? That was sort of the guiding principle more than the canon or anything that came before."


The events of The Force Awakens will set the stage for the rest of the forthcoming sequel trilogy. With J.J. Abrams passing the reins to Rian Johnson, who is currently prepping Episode VIII, and Colin Trevorrow slated to direct Episode IX, there are many different voices telling these stories. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said all the directors are working hand-in-hand to create a cohesive set of films.

"We haven't mapped out every single detail yet. Obviously everybody's talking to one another, working together and collaborating, and that I think is what's going to guarantee that everybody's got a say in how we move forward with this," she said at the press conference. "So far it's going great. J.J. and Rian have already talked at length because Rian's about to start shooting Episode VIII. These guys [the cast] are getting ready to head over in January, and then Colin will start working with Rian and spend a lot of time on the set with us."

There's been an unprecedented level of secrecy surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens, to the point that press invited to interview the cast hadn't screened the film beforehand (a rarity in the industry). When asked to elaborate on the decision to keep everything so top secret, Kennedy explained that Lucasfilm and Disney did it for the fans.

"Right from the beginning we respected the fans, and the fans have really been the ones focused around making sure that everybody and anybody who walks into this movie gets to be surprised," she said. "We have so little things that surprise us anymore. When you walk in to see a movie, it's all told in the trailers. It ends up online way in advance. I've even had people say to me, 'I don't want to read anything at all' so they can walk into the theater and actually have a pleasant surprise. That's really all that's driving it, and we've respected that in all ways we can."

Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18th.