9 things we know about Star Wars: The Force Awakens - so far

From old stars to new cast members to exciting plot clues, here are 9 things we know about Episode VII already:

1. Adam Driver plays new villain Kylo Ren – and he’ll be pretty dark.

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Star Wars have just released new photos of villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) on social media, and he looks set to be one of the darker villains in the saga. A quote posted with the images reads: “Together we will destroy the Resistance and the last Jedi.”

His light saber is red, like Darth Vader’s – but has a glowing hilt. “The light saber is something that he built himself, and is as dangerous and as fierce and as ragged as the character,” JJ Abrams told Entertainment Weekly.

2. The original stars are set to return.

Mark Hamill, 63, is back as Luke Skywalker, while Carrie Fisher, 58, returns as Princess Leia. Seventy-three-year-old Harrison Ford reprises his role as Han Solo. Mark joked that he agreed to return as Luke in order to avoid fans’ anger.

“Can you imagine if, for some reason, I said, ‘I don’t think I want to do it?’.” Mark said at a fan event, according to Cinemablend. “I would have all of you surrounding my house like villagers in a Frankenstein picture.”

Also returning are Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Anthony Daniels as grumpy C-3PO and Kenny Baker as little R2-D2. Unfortunately for the costume department, furry Chewbacca has plenty of fans.

“I think we’ve worn the suit out probably quicker than we expected because every time he meets someone they just want to hug him,” it was revealed in the Comic-Con 2015 Reel.

3. Episode VII takes place 30 years after Episode VI.

The Force Awakens is set three decades after 1983′s Return Of The Jedi, the last film in the original trilogy. This conveniently explains why the cast are three decades older than when we last saw them.

4. John Boyega is a Stormtrooper in a key role.

John Boyega is set to play a character called Finn, who is shown in the trailer in the white Stormtrooper armour. Not much else is known about the character, including his surname, which – like the last name of scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) – is a secret.

“It is completely intentional that their last names aren’t public record,” Abrams told EW.

The Attack The Block star recently confirmed that his character starts out as one of the iconic elite soldiers, though we don’t yet know Finn’s full storyline.

5. Director JJ Abrams will make his mark.

The Star Trek director is first and foremost a big fan of Star Wars. He was 10 when the first movie came out in 1977, has always spoken about his love for the franchise, and has now had a chance to write and direct a Star Wars film of his own.

And he’s really had a chance to make it how he wants it, because George Lucas has stepped back from his iconic franchise. According to Kathleen Kennedy, his successor as president of Lucasfilm after it was sold to Disney in 2012, he is avoiding all spoilers.

“I talk to him and see him frequently,” Kathleen told Vanity Fair. “And I’m telling you, every time I say, ‘Is there anything you want to know?’ And he’s like, ‘No, no, I want to be surprised’.”

6. The score will mix the old and the new.

John Williams wrote the Oscar-winning score for Star Wars, which has become one of the most iconic pieces of music in film history – and he’s been working on The Force Awakens. The composer, now 83, has created new themes for the upcoming film, but has said he’ll refer back to the original themes. Phew.

7. Simon Pegg was pretty involved.

The British comic actor is a massive Star Wars geek – and managed to get in JJ’s good books. He has an unspecified role in The Force Awakens, but the director credits him with more of an influence on the film.

“He was a wonderful partner in crime to kick the story around and ask questions and come up with ideas,” he told EW. “He was a perfect combination of incredibly smart screenwriter, fan of the series, critical fan of the series, and friend of mine.”

8. Andy Serkis is Supreme Leader Snoke. Lupita Nyong’o is a pirate.

Both of them either have weird break-outs of white spots… or they’ve been filming motion-capture. We can expect fun special-effect creations, but their actual characters may not be revealed until we see them on the big screen.

As Lupita said at this year’s D23 Expo: “Well, the easy part is you don’t get to see me until you see the film. All you get is dots on my face.”

9. Us Brits get to see it before the Americans!

The UK release dates is December 17 – which is a day before the United States. Mais non! The French get it a day before us, on December 16. The first country to see the film will be the United Arab Emirates, where parts of the movie were shot.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is released in cinemas on December 17.