Here’s when (and where) Star Wars: The Force Awakens will have its world premiere

By Rick Marshall October 9, 2015

The world premiere for Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens won’t happen in a galaxy far, far away. It will happen in Los Angeles just a few days before the much-anticipated film’s wide release.

The seventh installment of the sci-fi saga will premiere December 14 in L.A. before it’s released wide on December 18.

While the exact location of the world premiere hasn’t been revealed at this point, The Hollywood Reporter indicates that wherever The Force Awakens does premiere, it’s likely to be one of the most sought-after tickets in a very, very long time.

After its West Coast premiere, The Force Awakens is expected to have a London debut event and similar premieres in various other cities around the world before going wide in the U.S. and elsewhere. There are expected to be precious few early screenings of the film for press and the cast and creative team, as Disney and Lucasfilm are trying to keep as much of the film secret as is possible leading up to its wide release.

Set 30 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens introduces a new set of heroes and villains to the Star Wars universe, while also bringing back a long list of fan-favorite characters from the previous films. The film stars returning cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker, as well as newcomers John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Anderson, Christina Chong, and Miltos Yerolemou.

It’s unknown which members of the cast are likely to walk the red carpet at the fim’s premiere, but fans can probably expect to see a long list of Star Wars veterans and newcomers to the franchise debuting in The Force Awakens.

The original Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope premiered at Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre in 1977, and (as noted in the report) the last Star Wars movie to premiere in L.A. was Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005.

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