Lucasfilm shoots down rumours that J.J. Abrams is leaving Star Wars: Episode VII

Over the last few weeks, a rumour has been steadily building that all may not be well behind the scenes of Star Wars: Episode VII .

The problem as reported, has revolved around the fact that Abrams is unwilling to shoot the movie in the UK, as it would involve a lot of personal upheaval for a director who has only ever directed projects in the US.

The issue had been thought to be so serious that claims have been emerging online that Abrams is set to walk away from the project entirely. However, Lucasfilm has released an official statement claiming that this is not the case.

“There is no truth to the rumour,” begins the official response. “J.J. is having a great time working on the script and is looking forward to going into production next year.”

Sounds pretty conclusive to us. We can understand Abrams’ unwillingness to spend so much time apart from his family, but dropping out at this stage would be an extraordinary move, especially from a franchise so close to his heart.

We might not have heard much in the way of updates from the project, but given that’s the way Abrams always likes it, we wouldn’t read too much into his silence.

Star Wars: Episode VII is expected to open in 2015.

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.