Thirty-eight years after Episode IV – A New Hope (originally titled Star Wars), and ten years after Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars is making yet another blockbuster film that is anticipated to sell out all over the world. The PG-13 The Force Awakens (episode VII) comes out December 18, and fans are waiting on the edge of their seats to see it. This movie, though, will have some huge differences, including who is making the movie and the characters the storyline follows. To really understand what made the Star Wars saga what it is today, you have to go back to the beginning. Back in 1977, Episode IV – A New Hope was released into theaters and made $1.5 Million in theaters across America, which was unheard of then. The next six movies would smash that number with $4.7 billion worldwide, and even though George Lucas will not be taking a part in this next film, the legend he made will still live on.

 The Star Wars saga stretched over decades with one turn after another. Starting with Episode IV –  A New Hope (1977) (originally titled Star wars) all the way to the most recently released movie Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), all were done under the direction of Lucas. The latest movie, though, will be directed by J.J. Abrams who has mostly been a producer in the past. This is not the only big change that is happening for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The main entertainment service company, LucasFilm, changed ownership back in October of  2012. Now, LucasFilm is owned by Disney in a deal worth $4.05 billion that changed the fate of the Star Wars franchise. In May of  2014, principal photography on the new movie began, and the excitement began to grow!

 The new movie, The Force Awakens, is set 30 years after  Episode VI – Return of the Jedi  (1983).  In the last episode we saw the destruction of the second death star and cremation of Luke’s father, Darth Vader. The entire galaxy celebrates the fall of the empire and the rebels win! This time around we see Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his allies as they face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and his army of stormtroopers. With all this anticipation building up, no one can wait for Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming to theaters this Friday. If you cannot wait until Friday then check it out in theaters this Thursday evening in select theaters including, Regal North Hills, and Carmike 15.