( CNN ) -- `` Star Wars 7 '' has a title : `` The Force Awakens . '' The latest chapter in the sprawling saga concluded principal photography recently , and with that finish came a tweet , posted Thursday morning , with the ( presumably official ) title . Of course , the Internet had to have its fun . As soon as `` Star Wars '' revealed the name of the newest installment , out came the `` rejected 'Star Wars ' titles '' on Twitter . These are a few of our favorites -- and yes , that 's CNN 's Doug Gross chiming in , too : . Meanwhile , the cast members recently gathered for a wrap party . Mark Hamill , who had grown a thick beard , was clean-shaven , and Harrison Ford was walking well after suffering a leg injury on set in June . The new film is due for release December 18 , 2015 . It 's directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan . The previous film in what was a six-movie series , `` Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith , '' was released in 2005 . With Abrams in place , 'Star Wars ' fans brace for future . Every film except `` Star Wars Episode II : Attack of the Clones '' has been the No . 1 film of the year at the box office . On Sunday , Anthony Daniels -- who plays C-3PO -- tweeted that `` The Force Awakens '' would be even better than `` The Empire Strikes Back , '' often ranked as the best in the series . CNN 's Breeanna Hare contributed to this story .
`` Star Wars 7 '' gets a title . The film is set in the year 2552, and follows Han Solo ( Alden Ehrenreich ) as he leads an elite team of rebels on a mission to steal plans for the Death Star. New `` Star Wars '' due for release December 18 , 2015 .