Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	J. J. Abrams
Written by	Lawrence Kasdan J. J. Abrams Michael Arndt
Based on	Characters by George Lucas
Produced by	Kathleen Kennedy J. J. Abrams Bryan Burk
Starring	Harrison Ford Mark Hamill Carrie Fisher Adam Driver Daisy Ridley John Boyega Oscar Isaac Lupita Nyong'o Andy Serkis Domhnall Gleeson Anthony Daniels Peter Mayhew Max von Sydow
Cinematography	Dan Mindel
Edited by	Mary Jo Markey Maryann Brandon
Music by	John Williams
Production companies	Lucasfilm Ltd. Bad Robot
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	December 14, 2015 (2015-12-14) (Hollywood, Los Angeles) December 18, 2015 (2015-12-18) (United States)
Running time	138 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$447 million (net)[2]
Box office	$2.071 billion[3]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (also known as Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) is a 2015 American epic space opera film co-produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. The sequel to Return of the Jedi (1983), it is the seventh film in the "Skywalker Saga". Set thirty years after Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens follows Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Han Solo's search for Luke Skywalker and their fight in the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa and veterans of the Rebel Alliance, against Kylo Ren and the First Order, a successor to the Galactic Empire. The ensemble cast includes Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow.

Work on a seventh entry in the "Skywalker Saga" commenced after the Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012. The film is the first Star Wars film to not extensively involve franchise creator George Lucas, who only served as a creative consultant in the early stages of production. The Force Awakens was produced by Abrams, his longtime collaborator Bryan Burk, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, co-writer of the original trilogy films The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi, rewrote an initial script by Michael Arndt. John Williams, composer for the previous episodic films, returned to compose the score. Principal photography began in April 2014 and concluded the following November. Filming took place on sets at Pinewood Studios in England, and on location mainly in Abu Dhabi, Iceland, and Ireland. On a budget of $447 million, it is the most expensive film ever made.

The Force Awakens premiered in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on December 14, 2015, and was released in the United States on December 18. It was positively received by critics, who found it an action-packed film with the mix of new and familiar actors capturing the nostalgia of the original trilogy and giving the franchise new energy.^[4] The film grossed $2.07 billion worldwide, breaking various box office records and becoming the highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada, the highest-grossing film of 2015, and the third-highest-grossing film at the time of its release. It was nominated for five awards at the 88th Academy Awards and received numerous other accolades. The film was followed by The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), rounding out the Star Wars sequel trilogy.