Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a 2015 American epic space opera film directed, produced, and co-written by J. J. Abrams. The seventh installment in the main Star Wars film series, it stars 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. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and distributed worldwide by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, The Force Awakens is set about 30 years after Return of the Jedi, and follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron's fight with the Resistance, led by veterans of the Rebel Alliance, against Kylo Ren and the First Order, which descended from the Galactic Empire.

The Force Awakens is the first film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy announced after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in October 2012. The film is produced by Abrams, his long-time 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 (1983), rewrote an initial script by Michael Arndt. John Williams, composer for the previous six films, returned to compose its score. Star Wars creator George Lucas served as creative consultant during the film's early production stages. Filming began in April 2014 inAbu Dhabi and Iceland, with principal photography also taking place in Ireland and Pinewood Studios in England. This is the first live-action film in the franchise since Revenge of the Sith, released in 2005.

The Force Awakens premiered in Los Angeles on December 14, 2015, four days before its release in North America. Critics compared it favorably to the original trilogy, praising its action sequences, characters, acting, special effects, musical score and emotional drama, though some criticized it as derivative. Disney backed the film with an extensive marketing campaign; it has broken many box office records, including the highest-grossing worldwide opening of all time and the fastest film to reach $1 billion. As of January 4, 2016, it has generated a global box office revenue of over $1.5 billion, becoming the highest grossing film in the franchise, the second highest released in 2015, and the fourth highest of all time and prior to the January 9, 2016, release in China, the second largest film market in recent years. Two sequels, Episode VIII and Episode IX, are scheduled for release on May 26, 2017 and in 2019, respectively.

Cast

Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduces (from top) Adam Driver as the dark warrior Kylo Ren,Daisy Ridley as the scavenger Rey, John Boyega as the reformed stormtrooper Finn, andOscar Isaac as X-wing fighter pilot Poe Dameron.

• Harrison Ford as Han Solo:

A rogue and smuggler. Ford said Han "does not aspire to the position of Obi-Wan, nor do I aspire to be some New Age Alec Guinness. His development is consistent with the character, and there are emotional elements which have occasioned his growth ... There's a lot of the rogue still left in Solo. Some things don't change..."

• Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker:

One of the last remaining Jedi who has gone into hiding. Regarding Luke, Han and Leia, Abrams stated: "They'd be as old and as mythic as the tale of King Arthur. They would be characters who [the new characters] may have heard of, but maybe not. They'd be characters who they might believe existed, or just sounded like a fairy tale..."

• Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa:

The former princess of the destroyed planet Alderaan, turned General of the Resistance, and Luke's twin sister. After the events of Return of the Jedi, she is described as "a little more battle weary, a little more broken hearted." Fisher described Leia as "Solitary. Under a lot of pressure. Committed as ever to her cause, but I would imagine feeling somewhat defeated, tired, and pissed." Abrams said: "The stakes are pretty high in the story for her, so there's not much goofing around where Leia's concerned."

• Adam Driver as Kylo Ren:

A dark warrior strong with the Force, originally a member of the Knights of Ren, and commander of the First Order. Driver said the team tried "not to think of him as being bad, or evil, or a villain. Something that was more three-dimensional. He's more dangerous and unpredictable, and morally justified in doing what he thinks is right."

• Daisy Ridley as Rey:

A scavenger abandoned as a child on the desert planet Jakku, who is searching for her family.^[19] Ridley said: "She's completely self-sufficient and does everything for herself, until she meets [Finn] and an adventure begins."

• John Boyega as Finn:

A reformed First Order stormtrooper. Boyega said that he learned he obtained the part "over a nice breakfast in Mayfair" where Abrams told him: "John, you're the new star of Star Wars."^[21] Boyega said: "When we find Finn, he's in incredible danger. And the way he reacts to this danger changes his life, and launches him into the Star Wars universe in a very unique way." He said in another interview: "He's been taught about [Luke], he knows about his history. For him it's like joining the army and then learning about one of the great enemies of your country."

• Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron:

A Resistance X-wing fighter pilot. Isaac said: "He's the best freaking pilot in the galaxy... He's been sent on a mission by a certain princess, and he ends up coming up across [Finn], and their fates are forever intertwined."

• Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata:

A wise and perceptive figure operating a somewhat shady cantina on the peaceful forest planet, Takodana. J.J. Abrams said Kanata has "lived over a thousand years. She's had this watering hole … and it's like another bar that you'd find in a corner of the Star Wars universe."According to Abrams, the character was based on his former high school English teacher, Rose Gilbert, who lectured at the Palisades Charter High School from 1961 till 2013. Abrams said the team "really wanted the story to feel authentic, despite being a wild fantasy. I mentioned Rose in an early story meeting as a sort of timeless, wise figure that I'd actually known in my life."

• Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke:

The political leader of the First Order. He is Kylo Ren's master and is very powerful in the dark side.^[25] Serkis described Snoke as "quite an enigmatic character, and strangely vulnerable at the same time as being quite powerful... He is large. He appears tall. And also just the facial design—you couldn't have gotten there with prosthetics... Without giving too much away at this point, he has a very distinctive, idiosyncratic bone and facial structure."

• Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux:

The commander of the First Order's Starkiller Base. Gleeson described him as "pretty ruthless. A strong disciplinarian would be a mild way of putting it... He's kind of opposite Kylo Ren. They have their own relationship, which is individual and unusual. One of them is strong in different ways than the other. They're both vying for power."

• Anthony Daniels as C-3PO:

A humanoid protocol droid. Daniels said the actors were allowed to experiment with their performances, and that Abrams "made a field, a playpen where you were allowed to take your time and suggest things."

• Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca:

A loyal Wookiee and Solo's longtime companion. Joonas Suotamo portrays the character in several action scenes, as the then 71-year-old Mayhew suffered from knee problems.

• Max von Sydow as Lor San Tekka:

A retired adventurer on Jakku, aiding the Resistance in locating Skywalker.

Tim Rose and Mike Quinn reprise their respective roles as Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb, both from Return of the Jedi. Quinn previously performed Nunb with Richard Bonehillbefore his death; Kipsang Rotich returns as the voice of Nien Nunb and Erik Bauersfeld returns to voice Ackbar. Kenny Baker, originally announced as part of the cast, was credited as "consultant" for R2-D2. Ewan McGregor has an uncredited vocal cameo as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Rey's vision sequence, while archival audio of Frank Oz and Alec Guinness as Yoda and Kenobi, respectively, are also used in the same scene; Oz recorded new dialogue for the film, but it was replaced with pre-existing audio from The Empire Strikes Back.

Gwendoline Christie plays Captain Phasma, an officer in the First Order. Dave Chapman and Brian Herring served as puppeteers for BB-8, with Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz credited as "Vocal Consultants". Ken Leung appears as Statura, an admiral in the Resistance. Simon Pegg appears as Unkar Plutt, the Junkyard dealer on Jakku. Greg Grunberg plays Temmin "Snap" Wexley, an X-wing pilot. Kiran Shah plays Teedo, a scavenger on Jakku who rides a semi-mechanical Luggabeast.Jessica Henwick appears as Jess Testor, an X-wing pilot. Brian Vernel appears as Bala-Tik, the leader of the Guavian Death Gang. Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais, and Cecep Arif Rahman appear as Tasu Leech, Razoo Qin-Fee, and Crokind Shand, members of the Kanjiklub Gang, a criminal organization. Warwick Davis appears as Wollivan, a tavern-dweller in Maz Kanata's castle. Anna Brewster appears as Bazine Netal, a First Order spy, also at Maz Kanata's castle.Thomas Brodie-Sangsterplays Thanisson, a First Order Petty Officer. Billie Lourd, daughter of Carrie Fisher, appears as Connix, a lieutenant in the Resistance.Emun Elliott appears as Brance, a member of the Resistance. Harriet Walter appears as Kalonia, a doctor that tends to Chewbacca. Mark Stanley appears as a Knight of Ren.

Daniel Craig, Michael Giacchino and Nigel Godrich cameo as stormtroopers. Abrams' assistant, Morgan Dameron, appears as a Resistance officer, while his father,Gerald W. Abrams, appears as Captain Cypress. Additionally, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Christina Chong, Miltos Yerolemou, Maisie Richardson-Sellers,Amybeth Hargreaves, Leanne Best, Judah Friedlander, and Kevin Smith were cast in minor roles. Abrams has a vocal cameo, while Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels cast members Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Lanter, Tom Kane, Catherine Taber, Matthew Wood, Sam Witwer, Meredith Salenger and show runnerDave Filoni are listed among the additional voices used in the film.